Queenling
by SimplySupreme
Summary: With one mission, everything can change. When SG-1 and their guide, a village girl named Kendal, stumble upon a rather unconventional weapon on a very conventional planet, they alter the fate of the galaxy in a matter of moments. They soon come to realize that the music of their universe has changed, and that they might just need to change their steps in order to find their feet.
1. Marthos

_So, as much as I am a fan of SG-1, some of the things they did in their show made me sad for all of the lost potential. One of the biggest shames was how they handled the Tok'ra. Personally, I found the duality of the Tok'ra fascinating, and I think that they could have added unique dynamic to the show. Therefore, I present to you my brain-child, _Queenling._ It's an OC-driven story (just for a change in pace) that explores what could have been in regards to our snakey friends. Enjoy, and please do review, because I need as much help as I can get!_

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Queenling: Chapter One  
Marthos

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Marthos was a planet much like any planet in the Milky Way galaxy. It had an atmosphere containing the gaseous forms of nitrogen and oxygen, a few small moons, oceans, lakes, and, as one Colonel O'Neill would say, the same multitude of identical trees that appeared on every planet that he had ever visited.

But our friends from the Tau'ri are not part of the story of Marthos' one defining quality. Not until its departure.

The people of Marthos were much the same as any primitive people from any backwater planet, although they might be considered luckier than most, in a way. Marthos had proven to be of little use to any of the Goa'uld System Lords due to its complete lack of natural resources of any value, or strategic positioning of any benefit. This same dearth of resources that hindered the more powerful aliens also proved a hindrance to the planet's native peoples. They were very poor, and quite attached to archaic traditions that repressed the development of their culture, as well as the affluence and happiness of their people. Marthos hadn't much of anything to offer anyone.

Perhaps this was why it came to be that Marthos was actually a planet of some importance, although let it be said that this was through no fault of its own. For while worthless and unimposing, Mathos had a history that was long.

In the long-forgotten days when the Goa'uld System Lords ruled over the ancient cultures of the planet Earth, one symbiote had taken it upon herself to develop what the Tau'ri would define as a conscience, or, perhaps, moral compass. This symbiote, a Queen by the name of Egeria, was the only one among her brothers and sisters who realized that the enslavement of another sentient race, as well as the practice of forcibly taking them as unwilling hosts and shutting them out of their own body forever, a fate worst than death, was wrong. It is hard to say now, so many thousands of years later, how Egeria came to this conclusion. But in reality, the _how_ doesn't really matter. It is the _what_ that is important to this story.

For, whatever her personal beliefs, it would have bean easy for Egeria to continue as what she was. Goa'uld. But she did not. Instead, her actions against the nature of what she was changed the fate of the galaxy forever.

The prim'ta that Egeria spawned did not become Goa'uld. They had learned such things as empathy and compassion from their mother: things that simply did not exist in their more sinister cousins. The children of Egeria were Tok'ra, a race born solely for the purpose of destroying the tyrannical reign of the Systems Lords, and Ra. They carried on Egeria's legacy through the centuries, sabotaging the Goa'uld whenever and wherever they could, avoiding the corrupting and addictive influence of the Sarcophagus technology, and taking only the hosts that were willing to share their physical bodies with another.

As for Egeria… her story did not end so happily. Ra, the Supreme System Lord of the time, discovered her blasphemy, and the Tok'ra believed her killed, making them a dying race, for they had no Queen to replenish their numbers.

Or so they thought.

Marthos had been just as much an unimposing, utterly worthless, backwater planet then as it proved to be far into the future. This is why Egeria, more clever than Ra, or even her own children, would believe, hid her greatest treasure there; tucked safely away until such a time as it was safe for a reappearance. It was on Marthos that the salvation of the entire galaxy rested, undisturbed, for hundreds of years with no one—not the Goa'uld nor even the Tok'ra—the wiser.

That is, until the day that a group of people known as SG-1 arrived through the Stargate. That day, everything changed. And it is on this day that our story begins.

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End Prologue

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_To be continued... yadda yadda yadda._


	2. Blood and Fate

_And on to chapter two! Mostly backstory, but this is important, so pay attention! Please enjoy, and please drop a comment. I need to flesh out some personalities a bit, and I would _really_ appreciate some tips!_

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Queenling: Chapter 2  
Blood and Fate

* * *

Kendal had never liked blood. Although, to be fair, who did? Blood, and the pain that accompanied it, was always very distasteful, whether it was the blood of someone else or your own. Normally, Kendal was one to turn away from blood and call for someone else to help the person who was injured, mildly disgusted and distressed. Today was the first day that the blood was not the thing that distressed her.

Kendal had always been something of a free spirit among her people. As a young child, she had always been the one to dare to go farther into the Great Woods, to the point of getting lost several times. She could best all of the other children in a scuffle, and she always had dirt on her knees. As a young adult, she loved to read, an unusual pastime for a woman, and studied faithfully with their residential scholar for years until her mother forced her to stop attending her lessons, saying that they were unnatural. She also still loved to run and jump and climb, finding that nothing cleared her head better than physical activity: a habit that she had kept hidden from her parents a long time since. However, today was the day that Kendal knew that everything she was, and everything that defined her as a person, had to end. And she grieved for herself, and the adventurous person that she used to be.

At nineteen, she was well above marriageable age. Kendal supposed that she was lucky, in a way, that her parents had indulged her this long. But it still wasn't long enough, in her opinion. For when, just an hour prior, her father had announced to the village that she was betrothed to the village baker, she had refuted him publicly. This was a dishonor, and the highest insult, and Kendal should have known better. But the thought of being chained to that boring, fat old man for the rest of her days had sent her into a maelstrom of panic, and she had cried out at the sudden announcement almost before she had time to realize what her actions could mean.

This is what had led her into her current situation, huddled behind a wagon on the outskirts of her father's Ekan wheat field and crying, trying halfheartedly to stem the flow of blood from a small, but deep, cut on her forehead. Her father had been very, very angry that she had spoken out against him in public, and shamed him as a man. He had dragged her all the way from the village square back to her farm by a death grip on her arm, the evidence of which was still present in the darkening bruises that were appearing there, and then struck her. Not so hard as to permanently damage her, but hard enough to leave the bleeding cut just beneath her hairline, and freshly forming bruises on her left cheekbone and ribs. Kendal had run from him then—run as well as she could in her plain summer-cut beige dress—and ended up here, where she just couldn't seem to stop the tears. She cried for herself, for she would never again be allowed to be Kendal. She would be just as flat and two-dimensional as all of the other women in the village she so detested; simply a vessel for cooking and cleaning and bearing children. And there was nothing Kendal could do to change her fate.

Quite suddenly through her quiet sobbing, Kendal heard unfamiliar voices drifting towards her on the slight breeze. This was unusual, as hardly anyone ever visited Marthos.

"I still do not understand why Colonel O'Neill classifies the addition of what the Tau'ri refer to as 'health food' to the cafeteria menu as a 'commie plot'. From what I understand of the political structure of communism, this event can not be organized into this category," came a deep, calm voice.

"It's the _spirit_ of the thing, T!" another male voice responded. "I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Cake _is _happiness!"

This time, it was most definitely a female who spoke up. "Sir, I don't think that—"

"Does anyone else hear that?" another voice cut in, this one gentle and bright, yet still male.

By this time, Kendal could see the strangers walking down the path towards the village from the Chaapa'ai. They were dressed identically, albeit oddly, and the three smaller ones carried strange bulky objects with a care that could only mean they were weapons. The large one Kendal immediately identified as Jaffa, and he carried a staff weapon.

"Hear what?" the one who was called Sir questioned.

The Jaffa searched the area around him with his gaze, causing Kendal to shrink back into the shelter of the shadows cast by the wooden wagon. "I believe it is something similar to human sounds of grief, Colonel O'Neill," he said softly.

"There!" the female suddenly exclaimed, spotting Kendal and pointing her out to her companions.

Kendal stared at them with wide eyes, pulse racing. The gods rarely visited Marthos, but when they did, it was never a happy occasion. She prayed that the gods' displeasure had not been brought about by her insolence.

"Hey there, it's ok. We won't hurt you," the female promised her, looking at her with compassion. Her brow then creased with concern as she edged closer. "Are you alright?"

Suddenly becoming very conscious of how she looked, frozen in place like a rabbit facing a fox, Kendal couldn't bring herself to do anything but try and stop the tears. Her face, neck, and hair all had some amount of blood on them, as did the hand she was using to apply pressure to the wound. No doubt her eyes were puffy from crying as well. What a sight she must be! She supposed that the woman speaking to her was telling the truth in that she didn't want to harm her, for the expression on her face was one of the utmost distress.

Moving towards her carefully, like one would move towards an aggressive dog, the woman, who Kendal had, by this time, decided was very beautiful, approached her alone. The men behind her had tried to do the same, but Kendal had found herself involuntarily cringing away from them, and they had stayed just off the edge of the path, about twenty feet away.

"Hello. My name is Sam," she told her gently as she kneeled at her side. "What is your name?"

"K-Kendal," the girl whispered.

Sam smiled. "May I see your head?" she asked, gesturing with her hands that she would like to touch it.

Kendal was wary, but decided that she liked this Sam. She had a kind face and a warm smile that made her feel safe and cared for when she looked at her. "Yes," she agreed, removing her hand from the cut.

Smiling at her reassuringly, Sam placed her warm hands on either side of the little cut and gazed at it with a practiced air, apologizing when Kendal winced. "All right, it doesn't look bad," she said thoughtfully. She then reached into her bag and pulled out a small box, from which she removed a brown bottle, white fluff, and something Sam called 'butterfly stitches'. Not five minutes later, the little cut had been cleaned and pulled closed, and the blood that had flowed down over the rest of her had been cleaned off as well. Kendal was impressed. These people didn't even know her, and yet they had stopped and helped her as if she were one of their own. She smiled brightly.

Seeing this, Sam smiled right back. "See? That wasn't so bad," she told her, and helped her to her feet. "Would you like to meet my friends now, Kendal?"

Glancing shyly towards the men by the path, who had in the meantime proceeded to sit in a circle and start to play some sort of game with patterned, little wafer-thin white squares, Kendal nodded and followed Sam, smoothing her dress and feeling nervous. She suddenly felt that she wanted to make a very good impression on the travelers, and bemoaned the fact that she wasn't prettier. Of average height and athletic build with light brown hair pulled into a modest bun, she wasn't unattractive, but the only feature of hers which Kendal considered to be beautiful were her eyes, which were an unusual dark blue in hue and had an exotic tilt to them.

"All right guys, this is Kendal," Sam called out to the three men. "Kendal, this is Teal'c, Colonel O'Neill, and Daniel Jackson," she said, gesturing to each in turn.

"Greetings, Kendal," Teal'c said with a bow of his head as Colonel O'Neill each offered their hellos.

"Greetings," Kendal said quietly, dipping her head respectfully to each man in turn. "Thank you for being so kind to me, all of you."

Sam moved to Daniel Jackson's side, where she stood and smiled at Colonel O'Neill (Whose name wasn't, apparently, Sir.) as he replied, "Nah. It's kind of our thing."

"If I may be so bold to ask, what happened?" Daniel Jackson suddenly spoke up, looking at her with such unusual kindness that Kendal felt extremely flustered.

"I… I…" she stuttered, eyes flicking from Teal'c to the Colonel to Sam to Daniel and back to Sam again, not sure why they wanted to know, nor sure if she should tell them of her problem.

Kendal was spared the decision when Sam swatted Daniel Jackson's arm and told her that she didn't have to tell them if she didn't want to. Admittedly, Kendal felt quite relieved, and smiled uncertainly. "What… what brings you to Marthos?" she asked of them tentatively.

It was Teal'c who answered her this time, making her jump nervously. "We have received information that indicates that this planet might be home to some ruins that are of interest to the Tau'ri people."

Kendal frowned. Marthos was many things, but historically significant was not one of them. "I'm afraid that there are no ruins on Marthos," she informed them.

Sam frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Sir, it _has_ to be here," she exclaimed before waiting for an answer, turning towards Colonel O'Neill. "The inscription was very clear. The weapon to defeat the Goa'uld should be at _this_ address, P3X-277! Er, Marthos, I guess. The old outpost must be hidden."

There were murmurs of agreement from her companions, and Kendal just blinked in confusion as they started discussing amongst themselves very quickly, using words that she did not recognize. "Em, could you possibly be talking about the Caves?" she suggested hesitantly. "There are many writings there, that my people cannot read. I have tried to translate them before, but I am afraid that I hadn't access to the right reference material after I was forbidden to see my tutor again."

Colonel O'Neill visibly perked up. "The Caves? Caves sound interesting. Caves are good, right?"

"Yes, caves sound good, Jack," Daniel Jackson muttered exhaustedly. "What did you manage to translate, Kendal?" he asked interestedly.

"It was very difficult, as the writings were faded and in a different dialect than that which I had studied," Kendal admitted, thinking back to the hours she had spent by candlelight in the beginnings of the Caves, keeping a careful eye on the height of the sun so she wouldn't be late home. "There was much talk about tests and worthiness and waiting until the right time. I'm afraid that this was all several years ago, and the details are no longer quite clear in my mind," she sighed. "But… I can take you there, if you'd like."

Both Daniel Jackson and Sam appeared pleased with this suggestion, and Kendal felt a little rush of happiness that she had pleased such kind people so. Large and frightening Teal'c, though, frowned. "Perhaps it would be best if we all returned to the village, Miss Kendal, for you were most recently injured, and we could most likely acquire another guide there, so as not to endanger you further."

A pang of fear jolted through her, and Kendal knew that the others could see it. She couldn't face the village, and her miserable fate, right now. She shook her head vigorously. "_Please_ don't make me go back!" she begged them. "I'll show you the Caves, I promise! You'll never find another guide better than me. I was always the adventurous one. That's what got me into trouble in the first place! But I know my way there backwards and forwards, upside-down, and on one leg, I swear it! I'll take you there now, you'll see," she babbled, falling to her knees with her head bowed and arms spread wide in a sign of submissiveness.

Kendal knew that going back to the village would not mean her death, and it did not necessarily imply even another beating. But it _did_ imply an acceptance of her fate, and that was not something that Kendal was prepared to deal with. She abhorred her impending marriage to the baker to the point where she was willing to trust these four heavily armed strangers above almost anything else. Her gut instinct told her to do so.

"Woah, there," Colonel O'Neill cried out, grasping her by the arm with the bruises and pulling her to her feet. "There's no need for that!" He then frowned at Kendal's whimper and turned her arm over so that he could see the bruises in the shape of her father's hand. "Who did this to you?" he asked quietly.

"My father," Kendal whimpered from his grip, terrified that they would think her disobedient and unruly now. "I spoke out against him in public and he was angry with me. Please, I know I deserve it, but if you let me take you to the Caves, I can return home later, and he will be less upset."

Much to Kendal's surprise, none of them reprimanded her. All for of the travelers appeared highly displeased and agitated, and O'Neill's jaw was working furiously, but none of them scolded her, and the silver-haired man jerked his head at her with a rough, "Lead the way."

"Thank you," Kendal whispered, blue eyes large, and scampered forwards, heading off the path and into the woods. "There is a path farther on, closer to the village, but this way is faster," she told the group following her as they entered the shade of the trees.

The forest was very dark, as forests go, even under the midday sun. It smelled very strongly of pine and was eerily quiet, as the carpet of dead needles that coated the forest floor muffled even loud sounds. These same needles made walking treacherous, for the terrain became increasingly rocky as they moved on towards the more mountainous areas where the Caves were. Kendal was used to it, and never faltered, but she was pretty sure that Daniel Jackson fell more than once. Not much was said on the trip, and most of that passed between the four travelers. Sam did ask Kendal about the gold chain she wore around her neck though, and she explained with some warmth that her older brother had given it to her as a gift before his death.

An hour and a half after they set out, the group reached the entrance of the Caves. It was a dark, gaping hole in the side of a mountain edged by two stone columns upon which much text was carved, although it was faded by time. The two columns captured the interest of Daniel Jackson immediately, and he moved right up to them and began running his hands over the lettering.

"Wow," Colonel O'Neill commented, clearly impressed. "You weren't kidding when you said that this was a cave."

Kendal eyed him curiously. "Why would I 'kid' when I told you this?" she asked.

"Never mind," the man muttered, obviously put out. He then raised his voice, directing it at Sam, who had joined Daniel Jackson. "Oy, Carter! Whaddaya say we go in?"

"I think that would be best, sir," she called back, unfazed. "The writings out here are very faded, and I don't think we'll be able to get much out of them."

Daniel Jackson turned around to enter the conversation. "Kendal was right, though," he said, nodding to her. "The little I am able to decipher refers to a test of the worthiness of those who seek to enter the hidden chambers, when the time is right."

Kendal beamed proudly.

"Yeah, yeah. Just gimme my big, honkin' space gun and we'll leave," O'Neill muttered, reaching into his vest and removing a dark cylinder. Kendal was astonished when he tapped the side and a beam of light burst from its end. Seeing her amazement, Teal'c removed another cylinder from his own vest and handed it to her wordlessly before following O'Neill into the mouth of the Caves, Sam and Daniel Jackson on his heels. It didn't take Kendal very long to discover how to operate the light-stick, and she hurried after them.

The interior of the Caves were familiar to her, and it pleased her to see that the four travelers appeared suitably impressed by the stretch of carvings in the walls. Kendal was perhaps more impressed by the fact that, where the text appeared, Daniel Jackson appeared to be able to read it.

The sudden appearance of Sam at her shoulder made Kendal jump. "Care to show me around?" the woman asked amicably.

Kendal nodded eagerly, giving her a shy smile. "It's not very big. This way," she told her, tripping over to the back of the chamber, where an archway and a short tunnel led to another room much the same as the last. Kendal allowed Sam to look around for a while before moving on. This chamber had two smaller side-chambers, which were of little interest as far as Kendal was concerned, which Sam poked around in briefly before returning to her side. Another archway led into another large chamber: easily twice as wide and high as the previous ones. This was Kendal's favorite room, and the last in the system. The high, vaulted ceiling was coated in chipped, peeling, and faded royal blue enamel, while the seven green-enameled pillars stretching from the floor to the ceiling divided the smooth, grey walls into seven blank sections. Blank, excepting for the panel directly across from the entranceway. A five-by-five grid of twenty-five total stone squares decorated the wall, each square endowed with a decorative symbol that Kendal had never been able to divine the meaning of.

The wall seemed to fascinate Sam just as much as it had fascinated Kendal.

"They give, if you apply pressure," Kendal offered as Sam approached them, light-stick beam focused upon their surfaces.

"Yes," Sam murmured, seemingly lost in her own world. "They're buttons. Keys. A passcode. I'm willing to bet that the right combination will open another chamber."

Always adventurous, Kendal felt her heart quicken with excitement. "Shall I retrieve the others?" she inquired.

"Please."

Kendal nodded, even though Sam wasn't looking at her, and scampered back the way she had come to do as Sam had asked.

* * *

_The end! (Not really. Just until next update.) And for those of you wanting some actual involvement from the Tok'ra, that'll have to wait 'till next chapter. But don't worry, you'll get to meet one, I promise!_


	3. Ser'in

_Back with a new chapter! Thanks to all of you who reviewed. You're wonderful human beings._

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Queenling: Chapter 3  
Ser'in

* * *

Kendal was bored. While this may sound childish and petty, it was true. Daniel Jackson and Sam had been entering combinations on the panel for _hours_, discussing such meaningless things like _algorithms _and _acronyms_ and _synonyms_ and _substitution_. It was mind-numbing, and to her credit, Colonel O'Neill had lost patience with the proceedings far more quickly than Kendal had, albeit not by much. Teal'c had simply entered what O'Neill called kel'no'reem to avoid the situation altogether, until he had woken him up so they could play cards.

"Twenty-one. That means I win!" Kendal announced proudly, sweeping the stack of power bars into her lap triumphantly. She ripped one open and munched on it, full of happiness and bliss at the flavor. They told her that it was something called _peanut butter_, and while Kendal thought that it didn't taste anything like butter at all, she still nevertheless adored it almost as much as she now adored Captain Samantha Carter, who had been the first to offer her some of this miraculous food.

O'Neill groaned at the loss. "I am _never_ taking you to Vegas unless you split some of your blackjack winnings," he pronounced.

Kendal cocked her head and considered him with solemn blue eyes. "Does this _Vegas_ have more peanut butter?" she asked hopefully.

O'Neill just laughed. "I'll tell you what," he decided as Teal'c looked at him reproachfully. "Danny boy has got a whole _jar_ of peanut butter in his pack. I'll give you the whole thing if we ever manage to find the right combination to the wall doohicky."

"They're taking an awfully long time, Colonel O'Neill," Kendal observed, skeptically casting a glance towards the two blondes by the panel, who were obviously becoming frustrated.

"Ya got that right, kid," he muttered, shooting his companions dirty looks. "Too much genius in too small a space, if you ask me," he chuckled. Kendal could practically feel Teal'c's eyes roll as he stood and moved off to one side before once again going quiet. His kel'no'reem. "Get some sleep, kid," O'Neill suggested, leaning back against the archway and balancing his weapon across his lap. "I'm sure you need it."

Not feeling the need to explain to the man that she wasn't tired, Kendal simply nodded and propped herself up against one of the green-enameled pillars and gazed at Daniel and Sam, who were still working faithfully on the grid-button-panel in the harsh light of the lantern O'Neill had brought. These Tau'ri, as Teal'c had called them, were different from any other people that she had ever encountered in her life. They spoke strangely, they behaved strangely, and even their uniform dress was strange. It was dull and durable and yet made of finer cloth than any home-spun wool that Kendal had ever worn. She found the small circles of color on their shoulders especially fascinating. Especially the one that depicted what Teal'c had told her was the symbol for the Tau'ri homeworld. Kendal liked it. It was simple and elegant and yet held great meaning.

Idly, Kendal let her eyes wander to the twenty-five-square panel that Sam and Daniel were attempting to understand. The symbols on it frankly didn't make any sense. Most were a mass of curls and small dashes situated around a center line, which was slightly larger than the others. Four were circles though, in the center of each side of the greater square along the outside edge. If you looked hard enough, Kendal decided, the lines near the bottom and center of the panel as the upturned shape and the circle on the top edge could, combined, make the symbol of the Tau'ri homeworld.

Kendal sat up quickly, wide awake. Could it really be that simple, she wondered? Surely, if the symbol had any meaning, someone as obviously intelligent as Sam or Daniel would have tried that combination already?

"Is something the matter, Miss Kendal?" Teal'c asked, obviously having been disturbed by her sudden movement.

Kendal reddened. "No, I just… I had an idea," she ceded, aware that the others in the room had all turned to look at her. "It's not a very good one, though. I'm afraid I'm not very smart."

"Sure you are," Sam told her gently. "And it can't hurt to try. Come on, show us," she instructed.

Getting quickly to her feet and brushing some dust off of her beige dress, Kendal obeyed. She walked right up to the panel and hesitated only for a moment before pressing on the squares that would make up the symbol of the Tau'ri homeworld. One, two, three, four, five, six and… nothing happened. Which was actually odd, because normally, after six buttons had been pressed, the depressed symbols would pop back out to their original state. These simply stayed there.

"The point of origin! We found the inscription on _Earth_! How could I be so…" Jackson muttered to himself, trailing off as a rumbling was heard to their left.

A new archway appeared as a section of the wall moved back and to one side, sliding into a slot in the wall of the new room like it had never existed.

"Woah," Sam gasped, catching sight of the interior of the new room.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

Kendal couldn't believe her eyes as the five of them slowly filed into the new room. It was approximately the same size and shape as the one that they had just left, and had the same style of vaulted ceiling and lining of pillars, but it was here that the similarities ended. This room, unlike the room previous, was by no means plain. Metallic silver glinted everywhere, and large tapestries depicting peaceful nature scenes were hung over many of the walls, and although they were decayed by age, they were still magnificent. Large urns, some taller than Teal'c and others small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, were scattered everywhere in no particular order. It was chaotic and mysterious and, as far as Kendal was concerned, beautiful.

Slowly, the group fanned out across the room. They would pass by each object and lightly brush it with their fingertips before moving on, wanting to see everything and yet disturb nothing. Several minutes passed before an exclamation from Daniel Jackson drew his companions to him. Kendal did not jump to see whatever it was that he had found though. Instead, she stood examining a small urn that she had found in a niche in a wall, beneath which there was writing that Kendal couldn't read. The pot was about as long as her forearm and stained a glossy royal blue, Kendal's favorite color. Delicately, so as not to damage it, she picked it up. It was heavier than it looked, as well as warm to the touch.

Curious, Kendal turned her attention to the lid. When she could not pull it out, she tried twisting it, and was surprised when it gave way easily and with a slight hiss. Even more astonishing was the faint glow that the inner wall of the urn was giving off, much like the Tau'ri light-sticks. Kendal, moving her face close to the opening of the urn to get a better look, was utterly floored when she thought she saw movement within, and opened her mouth to call out to the four Tau'ri travelers when a sharp pain erupted in the back of her throat and then… nothing.

* * *

Kendal didn't often have dreams during which she was aware that she was dreaming. But this is what this felt like, or at least close to it.

Of course, if she were merely sleeping, she would have startled herself awake when a voice that was far too real spoke to her out of the darkness she was smothered in, with no visible source.

_"You weren't offering yourself as a host, were you?"_ it said a little sadly in an oddly pleasant voice.

Kendal felt a little scared, even though her gut was telling her that this voice meant her no harm. _"Who are you?"_ she asked it. _"_Where_ are you?"_

_"My name is Ser'in,_" the voice informed her. _"As for where I am; I am right here, with you. What is your name?"_

_ "I am Kendal,"_ she responded. _"If you are here with me, where are _we_?"_

Ser'in chucked warmly, her voice emanating out of the soupy blackness that Kendal found herself floating in. _"I like you. No nonsense," _she commented. _"We are where you fell, in the chamber with the Tau'ri travelers. Where you opened the stasis chamber that was my home for what I assume to be many, many years."_

_ "But… why did I fall? Why are you talking to me? And… how did you possibly fit in that little jar for years? Wasn't it horrible?"_ Kendal gasped, confused and concerned.

_"Yes, I suppose it _was_ horrible,"_ Ser'in replied, sounding like she was heartbroken. Much to Kendal's surprise, not only did she _sound_ heartbroken, but she could _feel_ her heartbreak as well as if it were her own. _"I fit in the jar because I am not human, kal'ma. I am Tok'ra. You fell because when you opened my stasis jar, you awakened me, and I cannot survive long without a host to share their physical body with. When you brought your face to the pod's opening… I thought that you were offering to be my host. My lifemate. But I was wrong, and for that I am truly sorry. I would never wish to take an unwilling host. If you wish it, I shall leave you as soon as I am able to find another."_

Kendal whimpered as she was engulfed with Ser'in's remorse. _"Is that why I can feel what you feel?"_

_ "Yes, kal'ma. If you wish it, I can try to block my emotions from you,"_ Ser'in offered. _"I may not be entirely successful, but I shall do my best."_

Suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed, Kendal exclaimed, _"No!" _before falling into silence. Ser'in let this silence stand before Kendal chose to break it once again._ "You said you aren't human. What do you look like?"_ An image flickered before her eyes of something very much like an eel, or snake, and Kendal did her best not to cringe out of courtesy. It wasn't that the image was repulsive, but it was not how Kendal had imagined that the warm voice would look like. _"So… you're telling me that you, Ser'in, are at this very moment physically inside my body? And you can speak with me? And… what else?"_

A faint impression of the Tok'ra/host relationship filtered through to Kendal's racing mind. _"I can control your body, if I wish to, just as you can,"_ Ser'in explained._ "I feel everything you feel as if your body were my own. I can heal your injuries, like I did with the cut on your head and your bruises while you were unconscious, and keep you healthy enough that you will live for hundreds of years. I can also share my knowledge. The host/symbiote bond is strong. If I were to stay, we would become the best of friends."_ She sounded hopeful, at the end, as if she already wished that she could stay.

Some of this impression must have gotten through to Ser'in, who sent a feeling to her that Kendal could only describe as a smile. _"When I blended with you, kal'ma, I saw who you are inside," _she said in a tender voice. _"You are a good person, with so much potential for brilliance that you have not yet realized. As I have told you, the host/symbiote bond is strong. I already love you."_

Floored, Kendal could not for the life of her think of how to react. _"Why do _I_ not already love _you_?" _she asked suspiciously.

_"I have lived far longer than you can imagine, kal'ma," _Ser'in laughed. _"Though I am hardly more than a child by Tok'ra standards. The human mind is simply not capable of taking in over fifty years of life's memories at a time. In time, though, you will come to know me."_

_ "That's if I choose to stay your host," _Kendal pointed out.

_ "Yes," _Ser'in admitted. _"I would never, never force you to do so. I am not a Goa'uld."_

Lost in thought, Kendal once again fell into silence before asking another question, of which there seemed to be an infinite number. _"If I allow you to stay, will you take me away from Marthos?"_

_ "I will do so no matter what you decide," _Ser'in told her solemnly. _"Either way, I can give you a new life. One in which you will be free to do, and marry, as you choose."_

Immense relief flooded Kendal, and she could feel Ser'in's invisible smile again. _"I think it is time for us to awaken, now," _Ser'in suggested. _"You must explain to your Tau'ri friends what has happened, for I'm afraid that they are quite upset at the moment. Are you ready, kal'ma?"_

_ "Yes," _Kendal decided. With a rush, she returned to the waking world.

Only to find that her hands were bound.

"Sam?" she gasped, seeing that said woman was staring at her coldly down the barrel of her weapon, the same as O'Neill and Teal'c were. Daniel Jackson was bent over the blue stasis pod, examining it. "What are you doing?"

To her credit, Sam appeared a little sad. "I'm sorry, Kendal," she sighed. "But don't worry. We won't let you hurt anyone, and if luck's on our side, we can have our friends extract the Goa'uld inside of you."

Kendal frowned. "Ser'in is not a Goa'uld, though. She told me so!" she exclaimed, thoroughly confused. "She told me that she was Tok'ra."

A quick exchange of glances between the Tau'ri told her that this word meant something to them, and Kendal experienced a wave of joy from Ser'in at this news.

_"My brothers and sisters still live, yet,"_ Ser'in explained.

"Uh, guys?" Daniel Jackson called out from where he was examining the stasis pod. He was pointing at a line of text running down its side that matched the text beneath the urn's niche. "This inscriptions say 'Ser'in, daughter of Egeria'. Egeria was the Queen-mother of the Tok'ra. I think she's telling the truth."

An extremely strange sensation overcame Kendal, and when her body started talking without being commanded to do so, she realized that Ser'in had taken control, just as she had told her she could. "Hubris is the one fatal flaw of the Goa'uld," Ser'in pointed out in a strangely deep, tri-tonal voice that Kendal knew was most definitely not her own. "They would never lower themselves so much as to claim to be a Tok'ra. To be shol'va. I am not deceiving you."

"This is spoken truly, O'Neill," Teal'c threw in.

Kendal observed quietly as Ser'in focused her eyes on the large man. "Jaffa," she noted with some surprise. "You are collaborating with humans. Do you not serve Apophis? A first prime, as your markings suggest?"

"I am no longer in the service of Apophis," Teal'c said stoically. "I am shol'va, because I choose to serve the Tau'ri in their efforts to free the galaxy from the rule of the System Lords."

Ser'in bowed her head in respect. "You are brave, Jaffa," she told him quietly.

"Ack! That's enough out of you, snakehead!" Colonel O'Neill snapped, brandishing his weapon at Ser'in.

Disgruntled, Ser'in dipped her head, and Kendal swayed, even though she was still sitting on the floor, as she realized that she was back in control of her body. _"Oh, that was strange,"_ she gasped.

_"You'll get used to it_," Ser'in muttered flippantly.

Cautiously, Kendal looked back up at the four Tau'ri. "What will you do with us?" she whispered, gazing up at them with sad eyes.

Colonel O'Neill hesitated, eyeing her shrewdly. "We'll take you back to base," he decided aloud. "You seem docile enough for that. We'll keep you under guard and send a message to the Tok'ra. If they ever respond, _then_ they can 'gate over and tell us if you're telling the truth. If you are, you're free to go, no hard feelings. If you're lying… well, then it won't be so pleasant for you."

Kendall nodded her acceptance, as Ser'in told her that this was acceptable, then dipped her head as Ser'in requested to be in control. "I too, agree, Colonel O'Neill," Ser'in announced. "Although, if you don't mind, when you message the Tok'ra you should make sure to include this: that Ser'in, only daughter of Egeria, has awakened. The Tok'ra have a new Queen."

* * *

_Feedback? Please? I'll send you imaginary brownies and lemon squares! (Totally worth it, even if you can't actually eat them. Delicious can transcend the internet, people!)_


	4. Snakehead

_Very sorry for the delay. I'm in a bit of a slump, and was trying to force out a chapter of_ Compromising Positions. _Didn't get very far, but there you have it._

_A clarifying point! This story takes place late-season-3-ish, a couple of months after the death of Sha're. The episode_ Divide and Conquer _has not yet occurred, so Martouf and Lantash are still alive. We'll see them later. Not a super specific point in time, I know, but I don't have a real need to be specific for the purposes of this fic._

_Anywho, enjoy the new chapter!_

* * *

Queenling: Chapter Four  
Snakehead

* * *

The Tau'ri homeworld was not at all like Ser'in remembered it, Kendal realized as she stepped from the 'gate and onto the ramp at the SGC. Ser'in's memories were of a wild land of rolling sands and dark-skinned people and grand structures built with such care that Kendal practically see the blood of the human slaves awash upon the stones. The SGC was nothing like that.

"Welcome back, SG-1," a booming voice sounded, causing Kendal to jump and look around for the source, afraid for a moment that another voice had joined her in her head. Ser'in scolded her for being ridiculous, and Kendal told her to shut up because she _was_ a voice in her head. An uninvited one, she might add. "I see you've brought along our guest," the large booming voice continued, which Kendal tentatively identified as belonging to a bald man who was speaking into a metal cylinder in a room high above her head. "Dr. Frasier is waiting for her in the infirmary. Debriefing in an hour." The bald man receded into the loft room so that Kendal could no longer see him.

"Who was that?" she asked curiously as Colonel O'Neill led her down the ramp by his firm grasp on her upper arm. Her hands were still bound, but they had been bound in front of her instead of behind her, and she was no longer being treated with such open hostility, although the Tau'ri were still very wary of her. This now included all of the others that were swarming about in great numbers, all dressed similarly. They watched her carefully, as if she would suddenly lose control and try to rip out somebody's throat with her teeth. But they didn't shoot her, and both Kendal and Ser'in supposed that this was something to be grateful for. Apparently, potential Tok'ra were worth something to them. How much, Kendal couldn't tell, but it was her instinct to trust these people, and her instincts were rarely wrong. What's more, Ser'in agreed with her. Still, it didn't make being so feared any more pleasant.

Daniel Jackson, not surprisingly, treated her with the most kindness. "That was General Hammand," he answered her. "He is the leader of this base."

Ser'in took control, and several of the Tau'ri in the corridor they were walking down jumped in alarm as she did so.

_"How can they tell?"_ Kendal asked. _"You haven't said anything."_

_ "Our eyes flash when I take control, kal'ma. Many find this unsettling. This is why it is the custom of my people to duck our heads when we change over, as a more subtle cue,"_ Ser'in explained. Out loud, she then questioned Daniel, "I see. Though not the leader of your people at large?"

"No. That would be the President, and he only leads our country," Daniel informed her. "We have many countries on our planet, though ours is arguably one of the most powerful." This made sense to Ser'in, even though Kendal had never heard of such a word as 'country'. Of course, she had never seen more than four hundred people gathered together at one time. Marthos was not known for its large population.

Quite abruptly, their journey through the corridors of the SGC ended when they stepped into a large room full of many unfamiliar instruments. The people here were dressed in different uniforms than those that Kendal and Ser'in had seen so far: crisp blues and whites. They also seemed palpably less hostile towards them, and more curious. Kendal decided that she liked the infirmary.

With the sharp click of heeled shoes, a small brunette strode purposely over to where Ser'in, Sam, Daniel, and two unfamiliar Tau'ri guards were standing. Teal'c, Kendal noted, was no longer present. He had promised her that he would send a message to the Tok'ra immediately, and it seemed that the Jaffa was as good as his word. "Hello, I am Dr. Frasier," the small woman announced, looking them over with a practiced eye. "You must be Kendal."

"Ser'in, at the moment, actually," Ser'in corrected, sizing up the woman in front of her. Kendal could feel that she approved of her commanding air. "You may speak with her directly, if you wish to."

Dr. Frasier nodded. "I will need to speak with her soon, but that can wait. This way," she directed, herding the group towards a curtained-off area near the back of the room. Ser'in followed, amusement filtering through their spectrum of emotions.

_"What's so funny?"_ Kendal demanded of her in the privacy of her—their—own head. Heads. (She was never going to get used to this.)

_"The small healer, in her gruff caring, reminds me of my mother," _Ser'in confessed. _"I find this very humorous."_

_ "Your mother Egeria?"_ Kendal pressed.

_"Yes, kal'ma. Hush now, Dr. Frasier is speaking!"_

Indeed she was. "Now, if you could just sit right here, that would be perfect," she said, indicating a strange sleeping platform. Ser'in did as she requested, sitting down on the edge of the platform somewhat warily as Sam took the serrated edge of her knife to the rope that was tying her wrists together. As she did so, the crowd that had been her escort began to amass awkwardly behind the curtain in the confined space, and Kendal was pretty sure she saw O'Neill and Jackson elbowing at each other for more room when they thought no one was looking.

Dr. Frasier, it seemed, was not having it. "Out!" she demanded, shooing at the bulk of men. "If you have a Y chromosome, I don't want you in here. Out! Out!"

"With all due respect Doctor, we can't leave you alone with the snakehead, ma'am!" one of the unfamiliar guards snapped pertly, shooting Ser'in a look of such suspicion and disgust that it made Kendal tremble, although not outwardly, as she wasn't in control of her body at the moment.

At this remark, Sam, who had been very quiet ever since they had arrived at the SGC, whipped around. "And who do _I_ look like, marine? Leonardo DiCaprio?" she demanded. "The Chief Medical Officer of this base gave you an order, _Corporal_, and I suggest you follow it. We'll be fine; I have a zat with me. Wait by the door."

The marines did as they were told, and Colonel O'Neill gave Sam a cheeky thumbs-up before following, Jackson in tow. Sam, by this time, was a little pink in the cheeks, but she dutifully drew her zat'nik'tel and held it ready at her side. The entire scene amused Ser'in a great deal, and Kendal could feel her laughter tickling her inside her head. On the outside however, the Tok'ra appeared as calm and collected as ever.

"Right. Now that that's over," Dr. Frasier mumbled. "All right, Ser'in. I would like to speak to Kendal now."

"As you wish," Ser'in responded, dipping her head and relinquishing control.

Kendal swayed a little as she misjudged her balance coming in, but managed to right herself immediately. The transition between them wasn't as easy as one might suspect. "Yes, Dr. Frasier?" she addressed the petite woman politely, blinking at her carefully. The varying degrees of hostility that she and Ser'in had been met with so far was unsettling, especially after she had formed such a good opinion of these people based off of her encounter with SG-1. Ser'in told her that they acted this way because she scared them, but Kendal had a hard time accepting this. They had her bound and under constant guard. What could she possibly do to harm them?

"_Be patient with them, kal'ma," _Ser'in advised.

"Ah, hello Kendal," Dr. Frasier greeted her, busying herself with the equipment that a female attendant of obviously less importance was wheeling in, now that the others had gone. "Tell me, how are you feeling?"

Kendal thought about that one for a moment before replying. "Frightened," she confessed, staring down at her hands, which she had folded in her lap. "Much is happening, very quickly. I am also a little disappointed. Colonel O'Neill promised me a whole jar of peanut butter if I opened the hidden chamber, but I think that he's angry with me for opening Ser'in's stasis pod. He hasn't given it to me."

For the first time, Kendal saw Dr. Frasier's smile reach her eyes, which were warm and twinkling. "Well, he _can_ get a little cranky sometimes," the doctor offered in O'Neill's defense. "I'll make sure that you get that jar of peanut butter as soon as we're done," she promised.

Perking up considerably, Kendal congratulated herself on putting the small healer, as Ser'in called her, more at ease. "Thank you, Dr. Frasier," she said. "I was telling Ser'in about it on the walk to the Stargate, and she has very much wanted to try it since then."

"Ah, well speaking of Ser'in, we'll get a good look at her in just a moment," Dr. Frasier said, patting the unfamiliar machine that she had been fiddling with. She then picked up a thin, flat square with paper attached to it with a clamp. "But first, I need to know a little more about _you_, my dear. Full name?"

"Kendal," Kendal answered, not sure why the woman was asking if she already knew.

For a moment, the doctor looked at her as if she expected her to go on, but then shook her head, wrote down the word, and continued. "Age?"

"Nineteen winters."

"Known allergies?"

"None."

"Debilitating injuries or birth defects?"

"None."

"Well, that's about all I suppose you would know how to answer," Frasier sighed. "We'll take height, weight, and blood later. Go ahead and take off your dress," she instructed, placing her papers on a side table and once again turning to the clunky machine.

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, Kendal began to undo the lacing just under her bosom enough so that she could shimmy free of the rather dusty beige dress, allowing it to flop to the ground at her feet.

"_Good riddance, if you ask me,"_ Ser'in sniffed. _"The thing was hideous."_

Kendal shivered in the rather cool air, wrapping her arms around herself self-consciously, bare except for a pair of plain panties and her corset. _"Hey, it was a comfortable dress!"_ she protested weakly.

"_For the body, perhaps, but not for the eyes," _Ser'in shot back smugly.

Having no witty quip to return with, Kendal chose not to say anything else, but merely sat back onto the sleeping platform and waited for the next set of Dr. Frasier's instructions. She did not have to wait very long, as the brunette was at her side momentarily and immediately set about doing all manner of strange things: poking and prodding and pinching and timing and writing down everything that she did. Personally, Kendal didn't think that the speed of her knee-jerk reaction was important enough to test, but Dr. Frasier apparently wanted to test _everything_. "All right, Ser'in. I'll need to speak to you now," she finally requested.

Catching on, Kendal lowered her head and eyes just in time for Ser'in to catch the motion when she took control.

"I am here, Dr. Frasier," the Tok'ra said.

"Good," Frasier affirmed. "Now, I can assume from past experiences that you are keeping Kendal in perfect health, so there's no need for me to perform a more thorough examination than I already have, correct?"

Ser'in nodded, somehow managing to look completely different from Kendal, even though she shared her body. She held herself more stiffly and regally. "Correct."

"Well, with that settled, _this_ is an ultrasound," Dr. Frasier said, gesturing to her device. "I will be using it to shoot high-frequency sound waves into Kendal's body, which will then bounce off of _your_ body where it is wrapped around her spine and back into the transducer. The image of your body will appear up there," The doctor pointed to a dark rectangle. "on the screen. Quick, easy, and painless, I assure you."

Ser'in dipped her head to the small healer. "The First World has come a very long way since I was last here. Your technology is impressive," she told her. "This is not what I, nor my mother, had come to expect of humans."

"Ser'in, just how long exactly were you in stasis?" Sam asked suddenly from her station by the foot of the cot, a frown creasing her kind features.

"I do not know for sure," Ser'in answered honestly. "I was amongst the last of Egeria's clutches, and I was only fifty-two years old when she came to the planet on which I was hidden, removed me from my host, and hid me away in stasis. She told me that Ra had discovered her treachery, and as her last act of freedom, she was hiding me away so that he would never find me and destroy the last hope of the Tok'ra." Ser'in was filled with great sadness at this memory, and Kendal felt the grief that Ser'in had experienced when she had told her last host, which had also been her first, goodbye. Her name was Mischka. She also felt her grief at the thought that her mother would most likely not survive. "And then… I awoke when my stasis jar was opened and a human brought her face to the opening. I thought that someone had finally come for me! But… I was wrong." The worst part of it was, Kendal decided, was that Ser'in was so very old, and at the same time so very young. Ser'in agreed with her.

"No offence," Sam prompted carefully, "but what made you so special? Why would Egeria sacrifice so much to hide you when she had hundreds of other children?"

"Continue with your ultrasound, and you will find out," Ser'in answered cryptically.

Sam and Dr. Frasier exchanged uneasy glances, but Frasier nevertheless carried on, one of her female underlings having arrived with an uncomfortably cold, clear cream that she then proceeded to smooth over Kendal's bronzed skin. Kendal thought it terribly unpleasant, but Ser'in kept them still until she was done. Then, Frasier approached with the transducer, operated a few controls on the machine it was attached to, and pressed the hand-held across Kendal's cream-smeared back, just beneath the nape of her neck. As promised, a grainy, unclear image appeared on the screen, and the worm-like body curled securely around her spine was visible.

"There you are," Frasier muttered, tilting the transducer for a better angle. "Wrapped right where we thought you'd be."

"Follow the spine downwards," Ser'in suggested in her tri-tonal voice.

Surprisingly, Dr. Frasier didn't question this advice, and actually took it, slowly following the contours of Ser'in's sinuous body.

Kendal observed with fascination. Ser'in had shown her what she looked like, but it was another matter entirely to see how she had attached herself to her body. Honestly, she couldn't quite say how she felt about it either. When she had awoken that morning on Marthos, Kendal might have been disgusted at the thought of sharing her body with an alien creature. But the events of that morning hadn't left her with a glowing impression of human nature either, and after meeting complete strangers that were kinder to her than her own family was, Kendal didn't think that worthiness could be measured in human characteristics. Ser'in wasn't human, but she had so far proven herself to be gentle, considerate, understanding, wise, and witty. Kendal liked her better than she did most people, and she had only known her for a matter of hours. She couldn't in good conscience hold the fact that Ser'in needed a host to survive against her.

"Holy Hannah… What _is_ that?" Sam breathed, bringing Kendal's attention back to the ultrasound. It looked slightly different than it had before. For one thing, Dr. Frasier's probe had moved farther down her back, about even with her naval. For another, what had once been one solid eel-like body now appeared to have several extraneous appendages running down either side in ridges. Small and stubby, these growths had no discernable purpose, but were nonetheless strange looking.

"I told you that I was a Queen, didn't I?" Ser'in pointed out. "This is what being a true Queen entails. This is why Egeria went to such lengths to protect me, and why I am her only daughter."

"We kind of thought that was just Goa'uld garbage," Sam mumbled under her breath.

"They're reproductive organs," Dr. Frasier stated in soft realization. "Most Goa'uld, and Tok'ra, by extension, are asexual. But _you_ can produce offspring."

"If you are truly allied to my brothers and sisters, as you say," Ser'in said quietly, quite sepulchral, "you understand that they are a dying race, without a Queen. I am their salvation." She paused for a moment as Kendal tried futilely to soothe the distress she felt at this, before resuming. "You then also understand what a risk it is for me to allow you to know this, for if you served the System Lords, I would most certainly be captured, tortured, and killed, and along with me, the hopes of victory for the Tok'ra."

"Or you could be tricking us, just as Hathor did," Sam threw in, playing devil's advocate.

Ser'in scoffed in distaste, sharing a brief flash of recollection with Kendal of an impatient, sly Goa'uld for which Egeria had held much disdain. "Hathor is a conniving fool," Ser'in pronounced firmly. "I am not deceiving you, but I understand that you will not believe me when I say this. I only ask that you leave my host unharmed and contact my people as soon as possible."

Frasier, flipping off the ultrasound, gave Sam a sharp nod, and the blonde considered for a moment. "I think I'll leave her in the isolation room, Janet," she declared. "It's more comfortable than the cells, but still secure enough to hold her."

"I'll have a nurse make up a bed."

Sam nodded, holstered her zat'nik'tel, and offered Ser'in a folded article of clothing that Dr. Frasier's attendant had brought to her. "Put this on. We'll get you cleaned up and find you something else to wear," she told her. "Hopefully, the Tok'ra will get our message and send someone over."

Ser'in, tired after the day's excitement, allowed Kendal to come to the fore with little protest, and remained hovering in the back of her mind and observing. "Thank you, Sam," Kendal answered solemnly. "And you as well Dr. Frasier."

Both women nodded. Dr. Frasier, however, appeared to have something to say. "Kendal, I know that Ser'in may not like this question, but I have to ask," she sighed. "If she _is_ telling the truth, and is Tok'ra, Ser'in will not stay within an unwilling host. The question is, _are_ you a willing host? Will you remain blended? The Tok'ra will doubtlessly provide a new host for her, if you wish it."

The inquiry threw Kendal through a loop. To be honest, she hadn't thought about it, having been so caught up in everything that had happened to her in so short a time. She had been aware that she would have to come to a decision, of course, but certainly not so soon.

"_Your answer will not be binding, kal'ma," _Ser'in whispered within the confines of her head. _"It is a very, very big decision, and I will understand if you do not wish to be my lifemate. I do not wish to leave you, but I will if you ask it of me, for I would never wish for you to be unhappy."_

Kendal did not respond to either Frasier's question or Ser'in's assurances for quite a few moments, lost in thought. When she did answer, the emotional quavering of her own voice surprised her. "Ser'in saved me," she said simply. "As kind as Sam, Colonel O'Neill, Teal'c, and Dr. Jackson were to me, they never would have taken me from Marthos. Ser'in, they would, and did," came the explanation. "She was—and is—kind to me as well, even though she owes me nothing, and is not even human. Ser'in puts my welfare before anything else. No one has ever treated me that way before. Her people need her, although neither of us are sure how desperately, and I find myself very much wanting to fight the Goa'uld as well. My planet is home to many refugees, and I am no stranger to their cruelty, but Ser'in remembers horrors that I can hardly stand to know about. As I am, I am powerless to ease the suffering they cause, but Ser'in can make a difference, and I can make a difference to _her_." Kendal smiled gently as she felt the welling up of the symbiote's emotions, as if she were about to cry, even though that was impossible for her. "I know her hopes, fears, and joys, and she knows mine. I would never leave her."

Within her own body, Kendal could feel Ser'in tremble lightly. It was an extremely strange sensation. _"Oh, Kendal, do you really mean what you say?"_ she asked._ "Truly?"_

"_I would never lie to you," _Kendal assured her.

A surge of happiness, originating from Ser'in, washed over her. _"I love you very much, kal'ma,"_ she bubbled warmly.

"_I have only known you for mere hours, and yet I feel the same,"_ Kendal admitted. _"It feels like I've known you for far longer. How is this possible?"_

"_It's a bit hard _not_ to know someone extremely well once you're sharing a body," _Ser'in answered wryly. Kendal had to admit that she was right.

For her part, Frasier seemed stunned. This was to be expected, although Kendal was more interested in the fact that Sam was nodding, as if she hadn't expected anything less. "If Ser'in is to be believed, she isn't just any Tok'ra," Dr. Frasier pointed out after a moment. "She is a Queen. Are you sure you are prepared to do what will doubtless be required of you, as her host?"

"Yes," Kendal replied grimly, wrinkling her nose a bit. She might have been young, but she wasn't stupid. She had long ago connected the ideas of a dying, sterile race and a long-lost fertile member, and what that would mean for her as a host, or lifemate, as Ser'in called it. She regarded the implications as she would regard a long-lost family member that suddenly introduced themselves to her: entirely foreign and defying everything she had known, but also a part of her that she could not repudiate. Frightening as the concept was, Kendal knew that producing more Tok'ra was important to Ser'in. Therefore, she was okay with it. She would overcome her instinctive trepidation with time, she was sure.

Even with her fear no doubt apparent, the answer seemed to satisfy Dr. Frasier, and she dipped her head in acceptance. "Very well, Kendal," she acknowledged. "We're all done here. You're in pristine health, and Ser'in seems to be too. If you feel any adverse affects from remaining in stasis so long, Ser'in, make sure to let me know. Go ahead and run along with Sam in the meantime, though." The small healer beamed at them, and Kendal returned the gesture with a shy smile of her own.

The doctor left, and Sam showed them how to wear the robe. (Ser'in insisted that the plain, course garment was by no means a robe, for it was not fit to be considered such, and the blonde woman had just laughed at her.) She had then walked with them to the doors of the infirmary where two new guards were waiting. These ones were female, and acted far more professionally than the last set. Kendal had wondered at the reason for the change right up until Sam had shown her what she called a _shower_ in one of the locker rooms, and she realized that the guards would have to keep her within their sight at _all_ times. Mortified, Kendal was seriously considering skipping bathing, goo-covered back and all, but Ser'in had offered to take control and do it instead, as she was by no means embarrassed. (Something Kendal grumbled about bitterly. After all, it wasn't _her_ body, was it? Ser'in had become very huffy at this, and very bluntly informed her that not only had she nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, but the female guards wouldn't care either way.) The flattery, at least, helped a little. That, and Kendal wouldn't have to think about how embarrassed she was if Ser'in was the one interacting with the environment. It wasn't an ideal solution, but Kendal had swallowed her engrained reflex and allowed it, retreating back into her head while Ser'in took control, and trying to tune out her surroundings with some success.

Shooting her a look of mixed sympathy and amusement upon seeing the blush rising on her tawny cheeks, Sam had brusquely informed her that she had something to attend to, and left. She didn't return for a half-hour. In this time, Ser'in had finally managed to wrestle the shower into cooperating long enough to clean themselves off, after quite a few mishaps that had left both bruises and scalded skin. (One of the guards had even cracked her stoic mask and giggled a bit at one point, watching her flail helplessly when she had twisted the wrong nozzle and the water had begun to run ice cold.) They had dressed in a plain set of the olive drab uniform trousers that Kendal had seen many of the Tau'ri wearing and a plain black top with short sleeves. The top was very soft, and Kendal liked it a great deal. Ser'in did not, claiming that the color was all wrong against Kendal's skin, but since they hadn't been given much choice in what to wear (none, actually) she couldn't do much to remedy the situation.

Kendal was seated on one of the long benches in the room and brushing her hair, which was darkened with the water and much longer and wilder than one might have expected once it had been freed from its bun, when Sam walked back in. "Good, you're done!" she observed from the doorway, exchanging nods of greeting with the two guards, who were both smirking slightly. "Finish up and I'll take you to the Isolation Room. Your dinner's waiting for you there."

At the mention of food, Kendal, who had been feeling rather listless, perked up immediately. She was very hungry, even though she sensed that it was rather late at night on this world. It would be evening on her own world as well. "Is it peanut butter?" she asked hopefully, putting the brush down and shaking out her surprisingly wild mane of hair. It was the custom of her people that the women wear their hair pinned back tightly, and Kendal had, by necessity, become very adept at taming it. Ser'in had requested very sweetly that she wear it down though, as she thought that her curls were very pretty, and Kendal hadn't the heart to refuse her. The sudden appearance of the golden-brown explosion of ringlets, only half-dried, that tumbled down to the middle of her back obviously surprised Sam, but she didn't comment.

"One full jar of the stuff, as promised, complete with plastic spoon," the blonde woman assured her.

"I must admit that I am quite curious about this _peanut butter_. Kendal speaks very highly of it. Is it a delicacy in your culture?" Ser'in asked curiously, standing and walking with Sam from the locker room. Behind her, the previously stoic guards both burst into sudden laughter, and even Sam cracked a large grin.

"_They are laughing at me!" _Ser'in grumbled in their head, feeling stunned and a little hurt. _"I see no humor in an innocent and perfectly logical query."_

"_Oh, don't be so uptight," _Kendal scolded with affection. _"You've been treated well and with respect your whole life. I can see it in your memories. Someone laughing at you will be good for you, even if it _was_ an excellent question."_

Ser'in sniffed with distaste. _"I am a Queen. I am important. Of _course_ I was treated well and respected."_

_ "Would you like to know something I have learned about the Tau'ri, Ser'in?"_ Kendal asked.

Ser'in sent her affirmative.

_"Their respect? It has to be earned."_

Ser'in was quiet after that.

"Uh, no. Peanut butter isn't a delicacy," Sam explained after she had taken a moment to control her mirth, although a small smirk still tugged at the corner of her mouth, curling it like the petal of a budding flower. Kendal was glad to see this. Even after the woman's attitude towards her had cooled considerably, she could still feel the kindness she exuded very clearly, and still admired her greatly. She was glad to see her smile, because Sam's eyes looked tired, as if they had seen much pain and not quite enough happiness. "It's actually a very common food for us," the woman continued, oblivious to Kendal's scrutiny. "We use it in a lot of things. Like the power bar I gave you and the ones you won off of Colonel O'Neill. But we also use it to make sandwiches and candies and cookies and many other foods as well."

Before Kendal could respond, they arrived at the infirmary again, and Sam began leading them to a door just off to one side of it. The halls were less densely populated than they had been before, supporting Kendal's inference that it was somewhat late at night on this planet, but they still received the occasional poorly concealed stare as they passed by. There were two male guards standing outside of the door.

"Wait here," Sam instructed the current female guards. They nodded sharply to show that they understood, taking positions beside the other military men, while Sam opened the door and led Kendal into the large room.

The first thing that Ser'in noticed was the line of windows near the ceiling. _"It's an observation deck," _she informed her lifemate. _"They will be watching us, not that I had expected any different."_

_ "No," _Kendal agreed morosely. _"They won't stop watching until they are absolutely sure that you are genuinely Tok'ra."_ She looked around the room at floor level now, taking in the clean little bed in the center of the room. A table at its side held a tray of unusual-looking food, but that was pretty much the only other defining characteristic of the isolation room. The walls were cold and grey, just like every other wall that she had seen here, and unadorned. A black box was positioned on top of another table against the wall directly across from the bed, but that was it.

"Here's your dinner," Sam was saying, gesturing at the tray. "When you're done, you can give it to one of the guards outside of the door. Ask them if you need to use the restroom, as well. Then, I'd suggest getting some sleep. I'll come by in the morning with a game or something for you to do while you wait, and I'll show you how to use the TV, ok?"

Kendal nodded and sat gingerly on the mattress provided. It was cushier than the one she had used during her medical examination, and it bounced a little when she moved. "Thank you for being so kind to me, Sam," she sighed, staring at her feet. "I know you didn't have to be, and that everyone here is afraid of me. I just… wanted you to know that I'm grateful."

When she looked up again, Sam was staring off into space and looking a bit misty-eyed. A few heartbeats passed before she once again focused her sad blue eyes on Kendal's face. "I believe you, you know," she blurted. "That Ser'in is Tok'ra." Shaking her head, Sam seemed to then decide how much to tell her. "Quite a few months ago, a Tok'ra named Jolinar took me as a host. It was an emergency; the settlement we were at was under attack by the Goa'uld and her host was dying… We had never met the Tok'ra. We didn't understand that there was such a thing as a 'good' Goa'uld," she elaborated, looking incredibly sad. "No one believed me. My friends, my family… they were all looking at me in the worst sort of way. Like I was someone only pretending to be me. It was awful. They locked Jolinar and I away until they could figure out if we were lying or not, but we were only there for a short time before an Ashrak got to us. Jolinar… she died to save me, and from her memories, we found the Tok'ra. But… I never forgot her," she sighed. "No one here quite understands the Tok'ra. Not really. It was hard then, mourning the death of a symbiote that everyone was half-convinced was still evil. Even after we found other Tok'ra, it was hard." At this point, Sam was gazing at her in earnest, and Kendal found the intensity of her bright blue eyes mesmerizing. Ser'in was absolutely silent, listening intently. "If you are who you say you are, Ser'in," Sam said, "then you must not let the alliance between our peoples fail. We may be a suspicious bunch, but no more so than the Tok'ra themselves. Many Tok'ra, and many Tau'ri, do not see the benefit in our friendship. But I do: and so, I think, do you."

Kendal nodded. "Two sides of one coin," she murmured. "Teach them daring, they will teach you caution. Teach them humility, they will show you history. Teach them friendship, they will teach you independence. Teach them diversity, they will teach you tolerance. The Goa'uld cannot be defeated by one race alone."

"Exactly," Sam confirmed, smiling a little and handing them a clear plastic spoon. With that, she turned and left, and Ser'in and Kendal were alone.

* * *

_Love it? Hate it? Want to discuss philosophy and bacon? Review. I dare you. :)_


	5. Sister

_Thank you so much to those who reviewed. Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

Queenling: Chapter 5  
Sister

* * *

Kendal thought that the TV was the most delightful thing that she had ever seen in her life. When Sam had first shown her how to use it, she had been so excited that she had wanted to bounce up and down where she stood, and Ser'in had taken control just to stop the motion. (She pretended that she was not impressed, but Kendal knew better.) They had both taken to watching it when they did not have visitors, and although they didn't quite understand what Dr. Jackson told them were_ cartoons_, they did enjoy watching the news, and soap operas, and most especially Animal Planet. Ser'in dearly loved to watch the incredible diversity of animals that they hadn't even heard of prance across the screen, and Kendal had to admit that the sight was interesting, at the very least.

More often than they had anticipated, various people came and sat with Kendal and Ser'in, seemingly more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt than they had first suspected. Some of them would show her new things on the TV, some would simply sit and talk with her, some would bring trivial little games to amuse themselves with, and Kendal was happy to see each and every one of them. Sam visited often, as did Dr. Jackson and, surprisingly, Colonel O'Neill. (The man didn't like to talk to Ser'in so much, but he brought cards to teach Kendal how to play many different games. She beat him at all of them.) Teal'c came once, bringing with him a movie called Star Wars, which Kendal rather liked, and Dr. Frasier showed up every once and a while to ask how they were feeling. Ser'in came to the fore most often during these visits, as she was fascinated with the 'brave Jaffa' and 'small healer' and greatly enjoyed speaking with them. General Hammond had come and introduced himself at one point, apologizing for imprisoning her but explaining that it was very important that they were positive she was not Goa'uld. Ser'in had told him she understood.

Most interesting to them, however, was the visit they received from one of their female guards on the second day of her stay, who was dressed in the first non-uniform outfit that Kendal and Ser'in had seen during their time here. The woman had let her dark hair free, which was long and thick and shiny and went very nicely with her dark eyes and long lashes. She was wearing blue sort-of-leggings and a tight-fitting bright red top. Narrow strings of silver were slung about her neck, wrists, and through her ears. Kendal also suspected that she had added artificial color to her face, eyes, and lips. (The Tau'ri, Kendal had decided, were odd. Especially when Ser'in told her the custom of kohl had originated with the Goa'uld and their occupation of the planet. Why the Tau'ri would want to mimic their past enemies escaped her.)

The guard had walked right into the room and plopped herself down next to her, where she was sitting on the end of her bed. "Hey. I brought ya something," she greeted her, bravely making eye contact. She had an interesting accent. It was warm and gentle, but very powerful as well.

Uncertain as to how to handle this woman and her bold attitude, Kendal smiled uncertainly. "I don't even know your name," she pointed out.

The woman laughed loudly, making Kendal jump. "Lance Corporal Alejandra Maria Ortiz, at your service," she crowed, offering Kendal her hand.

Carefully, Kendal took it, as this is what she thought Lance Corporal Alejandra Maria Ortiz expected, and tried her best not to look startled when the woman shook it. "You are one of my guards," she pointed out.

"I'm off duty," the woman responded with a sniff. "I can do whatever I like with my time. That includes visiting you, seeing as how I've stood outside your door for hours anyways, and spent hours watching you and Colonel O'Neill play cards on the security cameras to make sure you don't snake him. Figured it was my turn."

Still a little overwhelmed, Kendal just nodded, dark blue eyes wide. "I am very pleased to make your acquaintance then, Lance Corporal Alejandra Maria Ortiz," she offered, trying with limited success to reproduce the accent that the other woman had used when pronouncing her name.

Her visitor laughed again, white teeth flashing. "Call me Alejandra," she instructed. "Or Alex, if you like." She paused, rummaging in her shoulder bag until, with the crinkle of paper, she withdrew a small, flat object. "This," she informed her, placing it in her hands and folding her fingers over it, "is chocolate. Possibly the only substance on the face of the planet that is better than peanut butter, my friend."

Kendal was skeptical, and it showed on her face.

"Go on, try some!" Alejandra exclaimed, grinning. "You'll thank me when you do. Take the paper off first though."

Carefully, Kendal began to rip the paper off of the bar. _"I very much doubt that this will taste better than peanut butter. I am very fond of peanut butter,"_ Ser'in grumbled.

"_Alejandra is one of our guards. This means that she has access to a weapon," _Kendal pointed out with an inner smile. _"Stop whining and enjoy her kindness!"_

Ser'in grumbled a bit, but obliged. (She had been growing more sullen the longer they were held.) Kendal then nibbled at the chocolate, eyes widening with the burst of sweetness on her tongue. Looking up quickly, her eyes met Alejandra's satisfied grin.

"Told ya, didn't I?" the woman chirped with a satisfied grin, leaning back onto her hands. "Chocolate is the staple food of women everywhere. Spread the love, man." She flipped her shiny black hair dramatically for effect.

Kendal grinned. She very much liked this woman.

They chatted about anything and everything for a full two hours until Alejandra admitted that she should probably leave. Kendal and Ser'in were sad to see her go, for she had spirit unusual even among the Tau'ri, but Alejandra promised them that she'd bring her more chocolate some other time.

Ever since then, whenever Alex was on duty, the guard had always made a point of smiling and saying hello. The other guards followed her lead –probably because her strong personality dragged them into her wake, but still—and were far less cool and far more pleasant towards her. Even Ser'in admitted that she was very grateful for the rather spontaneous and unexplained change.

* * *

They stayed in the isolation room for two days in all before the Tok'ra came, early the third morning. Ser'in was still asleep (She always went to bed late and slept well into the morning, while Kendal went to bed at a more moderate time and woke up early.) and Kendal was just stirring beneath her sheets when the echo of voices from the hall met her ears. Groaning, she rolled over onto her belly and shoved her face into her pillow, thinking that the voices belonged to a particularly rowdy group of Tau'ri in the hallway returning from one of their 'missions'. It had happened before. But soon, she realized that these voices were entirely different.

"… told you before, Selmak. None of our history indicates that Egeria gave birth to another Queen in her lifetime," a female voice, overlaid with the deeper tones that only a symbiote could produce, insisted.

"Our Samantha believes her, and so do I," a male voice, also a symbiote, answered. "Even if she did not feel this way, Anise, would it still not be worth investigating? A potential Queen is not something to disregard so easily."

"I agree with Selmak, Anise. We must test this new Queen no matter who believes her," a third male threw in.

By this time, the group had arrived at the door, and was speaking more quietly to the guards so that Kendal could not make out what they were saying.

"_Ser'in. Ser'in, wake up!"_ Kendal gasped, trying very hard to rouse her lifemate.

In her head, she could feel the Tok'ra's sleepy consciousness stir. _"Mmmm… What is it, kal'ma?"_ she murmured, only half awake. _"Did you have a bad dream again?"_

_ "No. I think the Tok'ra are here!"_ she exclaimed, becoming very nervous._ "I can hear voices like yours just outside. They were talking about us."_

This snapped Ser'in back into alertness like nothing else could. _"Kal'ma, are you sure?" _she gasped. Receiving Kendal's rather indignant affirmative (Would she lie about something like that? Honestly.) Ser'in took control and sat up so quickly that Kendal's head spun. Leaping to her feet, she quickly pulled on the pants that they had removed to sleep and began running her fingers through their wild mane of curls, trying to look presentable. Finished with that, she tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her T-shirt as well. It was obvious that Ser'in wanted to make a good impression on the siblings that she had never met.

Ser'in's nervousness was affecting Kendal. _"Hush, Ser'in," _she crooned. _"We look fine. They will think you are beautiful no matter what host you take. They _are_ your brothers and sisters, after all."_

This, at least, seemed to soothe the young Queen a little. _"Thank you, my heart," _she sighed, forcing herself to sit just as the door to the isolation roomed opened.

Sam was the first to walk through. She grinned when she saw them up and alert. "I thought you might be awake, you two," she chuckled before gesturing to those behind her to follow. One by one, they filed into the room.

Directly behind Sam was a middle-aged man with graying hair and sparkling eyes. He wore a tan uniform, and Kendal could tell from the buzz in her veins that he was host to a Tok'ra. (Or, she thought with a grimace, a possible Goa'uld.) At his side was another host, this one appearing significantly younger. He was a handsome man, with short sandy hair and broad shoulders, and he was looking at her with marked fascination. The woman that Kendal had heard was behind him, fiddling with a data pad and looking as if she felt somewhat grumpy. She was very pretty, with full lips and blonde hair, and her uniform was tan too, just like the other men, but far more revealing in every sense of the word. Ser'in approved, while Kendal just shook her head at the slightly ridiculous image it presented. The rest of SG-1, General Hammond, and Dr. Frasier followed as Alex and another guard positioned themselves on the inside of the door as it closed.

All was silent for a moment, as Ser'in scrutinized what they assumed to be the Tok'ra, and the Tok'ra scrutinized Ser'in. She shifted nervously.

"Kendal, Ser'in, I would like you to meet the Tok'ra," Dr. Jackson, ever the diplomat, began when it appeared that no one was going to say anything. "This is Anise and her host, Freya." He gestured at the woman with the data pad, who offered her a tight-lipped smile. "Lantash and his host, Martouf." This was the younger, fair-haired man, who looked at her with the most open curiosity. "Selmak and his host, Jacob."

At this, the older man dipped his head. "We are most pleased to meet you, young Queen," Selmak said, deep voice rather startling to Kendal even after being so used to Ser'in's. "You claim to be a child of Egeria?"

Ser'in nodded. "I am."

Selmak dipped his head in acknowledgement, no doubt having expected this answer. "You will allow us to draw a sample of blood then, Ser'in? So that we might compare your code of life to our own?"

Kendal felt Ser'in tremble a little within her, but the symbiote did not hesitate in her answer. "We will."

Nodding once again, Selmak gestured at Freya, who stepped forwards and said in a crisp, businesslike voice, "If you would sit on the bed then, and remove your shirt, we shall begin."

_"Will you be all right with this, kal'ma?" _Ser'in asked of Kendal in the privacy of her head as she settled herself on the edge of the mattress. She could feel Kendal's reluctance to so expose herself in public.

Kendal sighed lightly. _"Yes, I will be fine," _she ceded. _"It will only be for a moment, and I am wearing the small-corset that was provided for us. We must do this to prove your identity, and I understand that."_

Ser'in sent a wave of warmth to her as she found the hem of the shirt and pulled it up over her head.

Moment's later, they could feel Anise and Freya's cool hands on the back of their neck, down by their shoulder blades, as she felt for Ser'in's body. It didn't take her long to find it, and Kendal could feel Ser'in shudder. "Sorry," Freya murmured from behind them. "This isn't going to feel very good."

Without further ceremony, the Tok'ra plunged a needle through Kendal's body and into Ser'in's. She had been telling the truth; it _didn't_ feel nice. It distracted Ser'in enough that she relinquished control of Kendal's body, and Kendal let loose a pained whimper in response to the second-hand pain that filtered through her bond to her lifemate.

_"_Sorry, sorry," Freya mumbled. "Almost done. Sorry."

And, just like that, the needle was gone, and it was over.

"Ow," Kendal groused, moving her hand to the back of her neck and massaging the spot where the two of them had been impaled. "That hurt _way_ more than when Dr. Frasier drew _my_ blood," she complained, looking accusingly at Freya as she reached for her shirt and pulled it back on.

"Yeah, symbiotes are babies," Sam laughed in a teasing tone, causing every member of the species in the room to glare at her with dagger-eyes, except for Ser'in, who was still sulking behind Kendal's control.

Anise, recovering from her injured pride quickly, inserted a small sample of the blood she had drawn into a device that she plugged into her data pad. "This will take about twenty minutes," she informed them.

The Tau'ri seemed very impressed by the brevity of the proposed time frame, but Kendal didn't really care either way, and let Ser'in have control again. The Tok'ra were _her_ people, and she thought that she should take the opportunity to get to know them.

Ser'in agreed. Running a nervous hand through their long curls, she turned towards Lantash and Martouf, who had moved closer to Sam when they had been turned around. "How many System Lords remain, Lantash, since the time of Egeria?" she asked. "The Tau'ri tell me that Ra is dead."

"He is," Lantash confirmed, obviously not sure how much he should tell her until he was absolutely certain that she was his Queen. "Many of the old ones have fallen, but new have risen to take their place. Not as powerful, nor as cunning, though, as their forbearers. They bicker for power often."

Ser'in nodded, accepting this. "And how many of our brothers and sisters are left?" she inquired, this time more quietly.

Lantash looked grim, as Sam turned and scrutinized him silently. "Not as many as you might have hoped," he confessed. "Not nearly as many."

The silence that fell over the room was stifling, and no sound was heard for a long while except for the rhythmic hums and chimes of Anise's data pad. Kendal gave Ser'in a 'hug', and they closed their eyes and sat quietly, awaiting the results of the DNA sequencing. General Hammond and Jacob began talking quietly, as did Dr. Jackson, Dr. Frasier, and Anise, and Sam and Martouf, but no one raised their voice above a low murmur until the twenty minutes were up.

_Ping!_ The sharp sound cut through the air, and Kendal's heart clenched. She could feel that Ser'in's did too. Both of them knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Egeria was her mother, for Ser'in remembered her well; but in that moment, their greatest fear was that the Tok'ra's test would turn out negative, and that they would never be able to join Ser'in's people.

_"Everything will turn out fine," _Kendal insisted, aware that Ser'in was far more nervous than was she. _"They are your kin. They will never deny you."_

_ "I hope you are right, kal'ma," _Ser'in whispered in return.

The others in the room jumped as well at the noise, and then shamelessly focused their stares upon Anise and Freya, who hurried to where they had placed their data pad and snatched it up. Their pale eyes flicked back and forth upon the wan glow of the screen while everyone else in the room waited, and Ser'in held her breath. "I don't believe it," Anise gasped as she finished. "She's… she's telling the truth. She _is_ a child of Egeria. She is our Queen."

With this announcement came two reactions. The Tau'ri appeared both pleased and fascinated, and the Tok'ra all moved into a slight bow. (The Tok'ra society was by no means a matriarchy, but Queens still held a great deal of power and commanded much respect. How could they not? The Queen, and the Queen alone, could determine the fate of the offspring, if she chose to reproduce at all.)

"Forgive our caution, my Queen, but we all believed it a necessary measure to take," Selmak said, not looking up. There was not the slightest trace of remorse in his voice, but he did sound genuinely concerned that they had made a bad impression on the single most important member of their society.

Ser'in, much to Kendal's admiration, took everything in stride. She rose from the bed, holding herself regally, as the humans in the room observed with guarded expressions. "Rise, brothers and sister," she commanded.

The three Tok'ra did so, gazing at her with a poorly concealed combination of wariness and happiness.

"You have done well," Ser'in praised them. "I expected nothing less than complete thoroughness from you, and I was not disappointed." She paused for a moment, before a rather sad smile lit her face. "I must admit that I am very glad to have finally joined you, after all this time."

Three answering grins appeared on the faces of the others, and they moved forwards one by one, symbiotes in control, and kissed her on the forehead.

_"Why do they do this?" _Kendal asked of Ser'in, finding the gesture both unusual and surprisingly pleasant.

_"It is an old gesture that is reserved solely for the Queen Mother," _Ser'in explained, seemingly floating in a bubble of happiness. _"The Goa'uld have always kissed the inside of a Queen's wrist as a gesture of respect when they greeted her, for even if a Queen was their enemy, she was still a Queen. But my mother Egeria wished for more true affection from her children than that which a kiss to the inside of the wrist could provide, and so the Tok'ra have always kissed her upon her brow when they greeted her. I did so myself, when she came to visit me in hiding. And now that you and I have taken Egeria's place, the symbiotes at least, if not the hosts, shall do so for us."_

Kendal hummed at her response just as Lantash, the last to complete the gesture, backed away. She became aware of the wide-eyed stares of the Tau'ri, and wanted very much to laugh at their expressions. Only Teal'c did not seem surprised, and if Kendal didn't know better, she would almost think him to be smiling.

Dipping her head, Ser'in allowed Kendal control of her body, and she looked up with a bright expression on her features that was quite different from what Ser'in looked like, when she was in control. "Don't worry Colonel O'Neill, sir," she called out mischievously. "You don't have to kiss me too."

The man spluttered indignantly, and the whole room laughed.

_"You do have the gift of charm, kal'ma," _Ser'in giggled.

Kendal simply beamed in response as she clasped arms with Jacob and Martouf in greeting and was swept up in an unexpected, but welcome, hug from Freya.

There would be battles to come, and Kendal knew that her life from this point onward would not be easy by any means. But for the moment, everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

_Please please please review! I have a move to the Tok'ra tunnels planned for the future, but I'd like some feedback on how that will play out. Any and all suggestions are very, very welcome! :)_


	6. Goodbye to the Queen

_And the elusive muse returns!_

_Sorry for the delay there. One new chapter, coming right up! Thanks to all those who reviewed._

* * *

Queenling: Chapter 6

Goodbye to the Queen

* * *

Kendal gritted her teeth angrily as she continued to beat the pulp out of the punching back with her hands, elbows, feet, and pretty much anything else that she could possibly inflict damage with. The excitement of the morning had definitely worn off at this point.

The thwacks of her body against the heavy, swaying bag filled the heavy atmosphere of the workout room, and yet none of the other few random occupants even looked up from what exercise they happened to be performing. They were probably used to angry people storming in and working out their aggression on the inanimate object, Kendal thought grimly. Most of them had probably done something similar when they were upset.

And Kendal was most definitely upset. After the Tok'ra had confirmed that Ser'in was indeed one of their own, the entire group had moved to the SGC briefing room for more comfort and privacy as they talked, which was fine by everyone involved. Kendal had gone along quite happily; glad to be freed of suspicion and the stark isolation room. She hadn't even minded that Ser'in was doing most of the talking. Kendal understood that she was helplessly out of her depth when discussing hundreds of years' worth of the activities of the System Lords, and accepted the fact that she would be better off learning from Ser'in as they went along. No, she wasn't angry about any of that.

What had upset her had occurred later, when the conversation had turned towards her and Ser'in's new role in Tok'ra society. The Tok'ra had been too long without a Queen, Kendal thought, for they had become immediately sullen if things did not go their way. Ser'in and Kendal had not wanted to go their way.

It made sense, what the Tok'ra had proposed, Kendal admitted as she finally began to feel the toll the exercise was taking on her body and she began to breathe harder. Their numbers were dwindling, and they had discovered a Queen. The logical course of action was for that Queen to begin to reproduce immediately. Both Kendal and Ser'in knew this, and were accepting of the necessity.

What Ser'in, and Kendal especially, had bitterly resented about what had been asked of them in the conference room was the way in which it had been assumed they would go about doing it.

At some point in their lives, everyone learns about the birds and the bees. Kendal knew very well what obtaining the 'code of life' entailed, and what it would result in. Sex and babies were things that even a different species, such as Ser'in's, had in common with her own as a universal truth. She was not squeamish in this regard. A word she objected to, however, was _consort._ What Selmak had had the poor taste to insinuate, and Anise, whom Kendal was beginning to realize was a bit too honest for her own good, had the gall to flat-out inquire after, was if she and Ser'in were going to take a _consort_: a mere donor, to enable them to produce offspring. Kendal was rather offended. The Tok'ra had survived thousands of years without them. Surely, they could afford to wait a few months for Ser'in and herself to develop a more meaningful relationship with a man before sleeping with him! It was not as if she was waiting to fall in love, because she wasn't. A close friendship, however, Kendal would accept. It would make Ser'in and herself better than a Goa'uld Queen, at least, who took what she needed without thought for an emotional connection with the 'father' of her children.

Thank the gods, Ser'in had agreed with her in this regard, and although she was far less appalled at the idea of taking a consort than Kendal had been, she had insisted with a ferocity that made Kendal proud that she would only do so in an emergency. The current circumstances did _not_ qualify as an emergency. Lantash, Martouf, Jacob, and the Tau'ri had rallied to Kendal's side of the issue. Selmak had been swiftly chastened, and Anise and Freya, although somewhat confused by the violent reaction to the idea, had respected Ser'in and Kendal's wishes on the subject. (No one was surprised or offended by Anise and Freya's inability to understand Kendal's adamant refusal. As it was explained to Kendal later, they were great believers in what Colonel O'Neill had termed, red-faced, as _free love._) Neither Kendal nor Ser'in would be pressured into taking a consort for quite a few months, at least, and for this, Kendal was very grateful.

Also upsetting was the insistence of many of the males in the room, including some of the Tau'ri, that Kendal and Ser'in be hidden away for their own wellbeing. If word of a new Tok'ra Queen got out, they insisted, she'd be the primary target for every Goa'uld in the galaxy, period. While this was very true, especially considering what had happened to Egeria, Ser'in was not having it. She had, she claimed, hidden for two thousand years already. Wasn't that enough? She wanted a chance to live her life, even if that meant it would be cut short.

Kendal had seen her fear, then, of the cold and dark that was stasis. It had eaten away several lifetimes, and Ser'in was in no way willing to sacrifice any more time to the void, stasis or no stasis.

A sense of mortality was a curious thing.

In this, Anise, Freya, O'Neill, Sam, Dr. Frasier and Dr. Jackson had supported her. The others had more fear in their hearts, Kendal theorized; too much to understand why Ser'in believed what she did, anyways. A compromise was soon reached, upon suggestion from Dr. Frasier. After spending the rest of the day on Earth, learning from the Tok'ra and getting one last night of sleep, Kendal and Ser'in would be taken back into the tunnels with a story as close to the truth as was plausible while still keeping her status as Queen secret.

The simplest solutions are often the most clever, Ser'in had commented. In the tunnels, she would live as any other Tok'ra did, although she would not be among those who embarked upon infiltration missions. (Apparently, Ser'in was quite handy with what was simply termed a _healing device_, and would be apprenticed to one of the healers on base.) The explanation for none of the other Tok'ra having met her before was to be that she was a member of one of Egeria's first clutches of Tok'ra, most of which had died by this point. She had been captured before Egeria's death, put into stasis, and displayed as a war prize. She had then been forgotten, and had lain, untouched, until the Tau'ri had discovered her on one of their missions as she blended with a local girl, Kendal.

Ser'in hadn't been very pleased with having to hide her identity, even if only temporarily until she spawned the first of her clutches. Kendal, however, had been glad of it. They would form closer friendships, she explained to her lifemate, if the other Tok'ra weren't intimidated by her status as Queen. This way, the others would be unafraid of them, and get to know them before they were fully revealed. It was only after much grumbling that Ser'in had conceded the point.

A particularly poor form to one of her punches suddenly sent a blast of pain up Kendal's forearm, and she admitted that it was probably time to quit before she hurt herself. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ears, Kendal leaned heavily against the punching bag. With the frustration worked out of her system, Kendal realized that she hadn't really been that angry over what had been discussed at the meeting. More than anything, she was simply scared. A new chapter in her life was about to begin, and the very thought of it filled her with apprehension.

"_Do you feel better now, kal'ma_?" Ser'in asked quietly. The Tok'ra hadn't participated in the mauling of the punching bag. Unlike Kendal, she had never used physical activity as a method for relieving herself of agitation. Instead, she preferred to sit in silent reflection and meditation until she could reach a state of calm. She had not argued, however, when Kendal had pulled on one of the black tank tops that had been provided them, pulled back her hair, and stormed into the exercise rooms that Sam had pointed out to her in the short impromptu tour she had given them after the meeting when she had taken them to their new VIP quarters.

"_A little,_" Kendal sighed, closing her eyes and letting herself feel the protests of her burning muscles. _ "I would normally run at such a time, but I found the punching bag to be most satisfactory. Remind me to thank the marine who was here earlier for showing me how to use it, if we ever see him again."_

"_I will,"_ promised Ser'in.

Nodding, Kendal closed her eyes and leaned up against the punching bag, waiting for her heart rate to slow and enjoying the moment of quiet.

"You have terrible form, you know. I'm surprised that Ser'in didn't correct it," a female voice commented from quite close by.

Well, there went her quiet moment. Kendal opened her eyes and was mildly surprised to see Lance Corporal Alejandra Maria Ortiz lounging casually a few feet away, a large blue cloth bag by her feet. She was in BDUs, as Kendal herself was, but her hair was down about her shoulders, and Kendal assumed that she was off-duty. "She could have corrected it, but that's no way to learn, is it?" Kendal replied, standing up straight and blinking her exotic blue eyes.

Alejandra dipped her head in acknowledgement of this point. "I'm sorry you two had such a hard time in there," she offered, referring to the arguments between herself, the Tau'ri, and the Tok'ra, which she had observed from her post at the door. "You did okay, though, from where I sat. I'm glad you didn't let them tell you what to do."

Kendal smiled weakly. "Ser'in can be feisty if she wants to."

Laughing, Alejandra seemed to relax considerably and hoisted the blue cloth bag onto her shoulder by a strap. She then offered it to them, and Kendal took it uncertainly, surprised at its density and weight. "Complements of the USAF. And me, of course," she explained. "I figured that the two of you didn't have much in the way of belongings yet, if you had any at all, so I had a little chat with General Hammond and Captain Carter once all was said and done, and they gave me free reign over a shopping mall with a budget fit for a visiting dignitary, which is what you are, I suppose. Just be glad I could fit it all in that duffel!"

Confused, Kendal looked from the bag to Alejandra and back again, not sure what to make of the fast stream of accented words.

"Go back to your quarters, take a shower, and look through it," the woman suggested, grinning widely. "Ser'in will love it." With that, Alejandra left, just as suddenly as she had come, leaving Kendal standing in the middle of the floor, staring after her.

Apparently, this wasn't good enough for Ser'in, who Kendal could feel was immensely curious. Taking control, she hoisted the bag over her shoulder with more ease than Kendal had and marched from the room and back towards their quarters, just as Alejandra had suggested.

"_You're just going to do as she said?"_ Kendal asked of her, bemused.

"_Yes," _Ser'in responded primly.

"_Why?"_

Ser'in chucked aloud, earning them a few more stares than usual from passerby. _"At the very least, there could be chocolate inside," _she theorized.

This thought cheered Kendal considerably.

* * *

Ser'in stood before the active stargate, staring at it with an inscrutable expression on her face, the hem of her dress tickling her knees. Lantash, who stood just beside her, had kindly offered to carry the duffel bag that Alejandra had given them, which turned out to be stuffed to the point of bursting with clothes of all kinds, as well as multiple orange packages labeled 'Reese's'. Ser'in had been absolutely giddy when she saw the garments, and had insisted on examining each and every one. There was outerwear and undergarments and accoutrements for all weather, although most were meant for a warm environment. A few of them were flamboyant enough to suit her tastes, but most of them were surprisingly practical in both cut, make, and hue, and sported either the neutral colors of the Tok'ra, like the brown dress she currently wore, or various shades of dull blue or green, Kendal's preferred colors. Kendal didn't care to know how Alejandra had known this. She just accepted that it was.

Ser'in considered the shimmering cyan facets of the active wormhole a few heartbeats more before turning around to those who stood behind her and giving them a sad smile. She then dipped her head and spread her arms in a more subdued version of the gesture of respect of Kendal's people. "We will miss you very much," she announced, straightening after a moment. "You are a great people."

General Hammond, SG-1, Dr. Frasier, and Alejandra all stood behind her, and each gave their respective farewell gestures in return.

"You possess great courage, young Queen," Teal'c offered sagely. "Be sure to always exercise caution, as well."

Not to be outdone, Colonel O'Neill piped up, "Keep your foot out of your mouth and your nose where it belongs!"

Ser'in's smile faltered as she frowned at him with confusion, and the man just grumbled that he'd explain when she was older. Kendal opted to tell him that technically, _they_ were older than _him_, but Ser'in decided against it as Sam quickly filled the silence.

"Don't forget that GDO we gave you. If you ever need us, we're just one 'gate trip away," she reminded them, giving Ser'in the same warm, beautiful smile that had first so charmed Kendal when she had first approached her on Marthos.

Alejandra, whose presence Kendal had specifically requested, nodded solemnly in agreement. "And always match the bra to the panties," she prompted, straight-faced.

Everyone else waving goodbye on the floor turned to stare at her, but Daniel Jackson just cleared his throat loudly. "On that note, I think you'd best be off," he coughed, kind eyes twinkling from behind his spectacles. "This could get ugly."

Ser'in laughed freely, tossing Kendal's wild hair, and turned back towards the 'gate. Anise wasted no time and stepped through the event horizon, and Jacob, with one last wave towards his daughter, followed.

"Until next I see you," Martouf called out to Sam as he started forwards, a curious inflection in his voice and genuinely pained expression upon his face.

"I hope it's soon, Martouf, Lantash. Stay safe."

Before Ser'in could ponder on this exchange, Martouf had taken her arm and pulled her with him through the stargate.

* * *

A blast of hot air greeted them as they stepped through to the other side, and Ser'in blinked and shielded her eyes against the sudden harsh sunlight of the desert planet. It didn't take her more than a few moments to adjust, and by the time she did, she could see that the other three Tok'ra were waiting for her.

"Now, Anise and I will leave you as soon as we enter the tunnels, so that we might handle the counsel on your behalf. Only Per'sus and Garshaw will be made aware of your true identity," Selmak explained quickly, taking control. "Martouf and Lantash will show you to your quarters, and as soon as you are settled, they will show you to the infirmary. They will take you to Dauren, who will be your mentor there for the foreseeable future. If there is a problem with anything at all, at any point, you must seek out either Anise, Garshaw, Per'sus, Lantash, or myself," he instructed. "In the meantime, aside from your duties in the infirmary, you are free to do as you please. Try not to draw undue attention to yourself, and by all means, please become acquainted with the male portion of our population!" At this, Selmak's face twisted in good humor, and Ser'in couldn't help but roll her eyes like a petulant child at the not-so-subtle hint, an action which caused even Anise to smirk.

"I am ready to proceed," Ser'in muttered, adding a few choice words in Goa'uld under her breath until Kendal stepped in and took control, smiling over the stream of mutters that was continuing even within her own head, and followed the lead of the other Tok'ra. From the buzz of naquadah in her body, both Ser'in and Kendal could tell that they were making towards a set of rings, although the sand of the desert planet made it slow going.

"_Are you ready, Ser'in?" _Kendal asked her, hardly able to breathe through her excitement.

"_As I'll ever be," _the symbiote answered grimly as Kendal huddled close to the others. A metallic buzz reverberated around them as the rings erupted from beneath the sand, and Kendal suddenly found herself in a darker, cooler place.

The tunnels of the Tok'ra were breathtaking. Ser'in had never seen them personally, having spent the majority of her life in hiding among humans and never meeting more than one or two of her siblings, but she had heard tell of them, and neither she nor her host were disappointed. The soft blue-grey luminescence given off by the great crystals that formed the walls was unequivocally beautiful, and Kendal turned in a full circle, taking in everything and grinning like a fool. The tunnels held beauty in the cold way that diamonds held beauty: all facets and gleam and otherworldly light. Even this one small room displayed that quality, and Kendal thought the calm and cool environment that it produced a fitting contrast to the hot sands of the planet above.

"_Wait until we see some of the more intricate structures formed by the crystal technology,"_ Ser'in prompted eagerly. _"My mother once told me that they were both unique and breathtaking. So unlike the gild of Goa'uld halls."_

"_We shall do some exploring today," _Kendal decided. _"After we settle into our quarters and meet Dauren, of course. It will be nice to see much of our new home, and meet some of our new people."_

With this, Ser'in agreed, although a flash of uncertainly lit through their shared emotional spectrum. _"I… am rather nervous, after all this time," _the symbiote admitted. _"My brothers and sisters are so much older than I, now. What if we meet, and they do not like me?"_

"_Nonsense!"_ Kendal protested, before softening physically. _"We were total strangers a week ago, and yet you are more dear to me than anything," _she purred. _"Surely your kin will take to you with far more alacrity."_

Ser'in did not respond verbally, but Kendal could feel her lifemate's gratitude through the constant flow of thought, sensation, and emotion between them. It was a curious and lovely feeling: one she had yet to become accustomed to.

Lost in thought, Kendal nearly jumped out of her skin when Jacob touched her arm to reclaim her attention. He chuckled at her reaction. "It is here we must leave you, and here the charade must begin, my Queen. Please remember that it is preferable that we conceal your identity for as long as possible. We have had spies planted within our ranks before."

"Cordesh," Ser'in recalled, coming to the fore. She remembered the paroxysms of smugness that O'Neill had undergone at the memory of the Tok'ra spy, when the incident had been mentioned at the SGC.

"Yes," Freya threw in grimly. "Remember this always, until we can no longer hide it, my Queen."

"You cannot call me 'my Queen' any longer, you know," Ser'in pointed out, slightly sullen.

Martouf, always the diplomatic one, took Ser'in by the arm and led her down the tunnel. "You are correct, Ser'in," he told her in a lowered voice, bending a little so he could speak into her ear. "It will be a difficult adjustment for us, but we will manage. Are you ready to join your people?"

Extracting herself from Martouf's hold, Ser'in took a moment to compose herself, standing up straight in that regal manner she so often possessed and taking a breath. With an inscrutable expression that only Kendal knew hid her insecurity, Ser'in stepped forwards, Martouf standing calmly beside her, into the next branch of the tunnel as well as her new life.

* * *

_So? Anything anyone simply HAS to see? Want to beat me over the head with a blunt object for taking so long? Review! :D_


	7. Adjust

_A/N: A chapter of guilt, I assure you. After so long a delay, I must indulge you. Thanks to the very few of you who reviewed: I really appreciate it._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Queenling: Chapter 2

Adjust

* * *

Were Kendal in command of her body at the moment, she would have long ago been reduced to fidgeting self-consciously under her new mentor's critical gaze. However, this was not the case. Ser'in stood with an air of almost unnatural stillness, hands clasped politely behind her back and chin lifted ever so slightly. She was not one to be found lacking under scrutiny.

"Well, I have yet to see what she might accomplish with a healing device, but I suppose she'll do," Dauren, who had been silently observing them for quite a few minutes now, finally spoke.

Dauren, or rather, her host, Ezabel, was a slight woman of what appeared to be middle age. She was positively tiny, standing at barely five feet tall, and didn't look like she weighed much of anything at all. (In fact, the somewhat bulky beige uniform she wore dwarfed her.) Her strawberry blonde hair was cropped unusually short and had been slicked back severely, accentuating her thin, sharp features while her skin, very fair, had a look about it like thin parchment. If she looked closely, Kendal could spot the hair-thin wrinkles roamed its surface: no doubt a testimony to the many decades that Ezabel and Dauren had spent together. In all, the Tok'ra appeared to be quite delicate, but her dark eyes snapped with flinty strength, and she moved purposefully, like a prowling dog. Even her voice was unexpectedly rough: certainly an odd combination of traits for a healer to possess.

Martouf, having been the one to escort her to her quarters and then to the infirmary, dipped his head in acknowledgement of Dauren's announcement. "Then it is settled," he pronounced, briefly touching Ser'in's shoulder. "Ser'in, Dauren will be your mentor while you train to become a fully fledged healer. She will be responsible for you in your first few weeks. Welcome to the Tok'ra."

With that, he turned and left. Kendal was a little nervous about this, but Ser'in had expected it. _"He must not be seen to favor us,"_ she explained. Not that this made Kendal any happier.

Dauren, surprisingly, relaxed a little as Martouf left, although her arms remained crossed over her chest and her eyes on Ser'in's face. Both Kendal and Ser'in could tell that she was not yet sure quite what to think of them. "So, stasis for two thousand years?" she asked, raising a single skeptical eyebrow.

"Indeed. I wouldn't recommend it," Ser'in replied, relaxing her stance slightly as well.

"Your clothes, are they Tau'ri?" the woman asked.

Glancing down, Ser'in brushed her fingertips over the brown cotton of the dress and twisted her foot in her combat boot. "They incarcerated me for several days until Anise could come and verify that I was a child of Egeria," she explained. Both she and Kendal knew that they would be spending much of their time with Dauren and Ezabel, and Kendal figured that the faster they put her at ease with their presence, the better. Ser'in, of course, agreed. "We made quite a few friends during our time on the planet, though. They gifted Kendal and I with many Tau'ri garments, as recompense. They are a kind hearted people, once you've managed to ease their fears."

Dauren raised her eyebrow once again, and Ser'in belatedly realized that the Tok'ra didn't really care. Small talk, it seemed, wasn't something that she indulged in often, if at all.

"Forgive me: I digress," Ser'in apologized quickly, standing up, if possible, a little straighter. "Shall we begin?"

Dauren pursed her lips and dipped her head, allowing Ezabel control. "We are very accomplished healers, but I must warn you that we have little tolerance for time-wasting or frivolity," the host began immediately. "I'm afraid we're rather jaded."

With a slight smile, she beckoned Ser'in to follow her as they strode through the heart of the infirmary. Just like the tunnels, the infirmary was formed out of the smooth cyan crystal and lit with its cool glow. This was on a much larger scale, however. The main room was large enough for many people to gather comfortably, although only a few were actually present, and three full observation tables had been erected in the space for the more critical patients. The occasional cushion or stool dotted the floor. Branching off from the large room like the spokes of a giant wheel were smaller rooms. Many were private recovery rooms, (Or, as close as one could get to private in a complex without doors: a strange concept to Kendal.) sitting areas, or storage rooms. It was into one of these storage rooms that Ser'in was led.

"Here. Keep this with you," Ezabel instructed, removing a healing device from a small cabinet and holding it out to her. She nodded when Ser'in took it. "When you leave the infirmary, you may place it back into the cubby, but while you are working, it must always be with you."

"I understand," Ser'in agreed.

Ezabel favored her with a tiny smile: the first that Kendal had seen her give. "Good. And Kendal as well?" she inquired.

Taking the opportunity to come to the fore, Kendal too agreed, smiling brightly at her.

Nodding and seeming satisfied, Ezabel strutted into an adjacent, smaller storage room with Kendal toeing after her, curious. Storage boxes were stacked on the shelves very neatly. Gazing upon them, Kendal realized at that moment that everything that she had seen of the Tok'ra base so far was packed and ready to be evacuated at a moment's notice. Even the small living space that Lantash had informed her was to be her own, minimalist as it was, contained only items that were either departure-ready or able to be abandoned.

A small crash and some very creative swearing in multiple languages startled Kendal back into focus, and she swiveled her gaze to Ezabel, who had dropped a small box that she had pulled from a shelf and didn't seem too happy about it. Before Kendal could move to help her pick it up, however, the woman had already gathered it back into her hands, opened it up, and begun checking its contents for damage. Apparently, the box hadn't suffered any permanent maiming. "Here," Ezabel said, pulling plain necklace with a pendant that was a small, transparent sphere about the size of the tip of Kendal's thumb out of its interior before placing the box back onto the shelf. Moving aside the collar of her tunic, the tiny healer revealed that she was wearing an identical necklace. "This is a contact orb," she explained. "You will be expected to report to the infirmary every morning after breakfast, of course, but if there is a medical incident at any point during which you are not in the vicinity, any healer on duty can do this." Moving her hand to her own necklace, Ezabel pressed her fingers forcefully down onto the smooth surface of the sphere, closing her eyes. The necklace that she held in her other fist then burst into a searingly bright blue glow, the light harsh enough to leave little spots in Kendal's vision.

"Don't take it off. Even to sleep," Ezabel warned then, closing her fist over the glow. When she released the contact orb again, it lay in her upturned palm as innocently as it had to begin with. "Healers must be reachable at all hours of the day or night."

She offered the necklace to Kendal, who took it carefully. _"I do not look forward to being woken so rudely in the middle of the night by such a bright light,"_ Ser'in commented as Kendal slipped it over her head, pulling her light brown curls out of the way.

"_Nor do I, but I understand why it must be so,"_ Kendal confessed to her.

The symbiote gave the mental equivalent of a snort of derision. _"That does not mean that I have to like it."_

The booming, tri-tonal voice of Dauren unknowingly interrupted their silent conversation. She was pacing back and forth across the narrow space available in the storage room, frowning. "Beginning tomorrow, I expect you to report to the infirmary every morning after you have eaten. You will then work until you are dismissed. After that, you may do as you please with your time, so long as you are ready to perform your duties come morning, or whenever else you might be summoned," the tiny healer informed them. She then paused in her pacing, standing quite still except to tilt her head to one side and consider Kendal and Ser'in with renewed interest. "It is quite rare for any Tok'ra to be selected to be brought into the infirmary as a new healer," she murmured, dark eyes searching Kendal's large blue ones. "I do not know what about you has so charmed Anise and Selmak, but I do this as a favor for them. They insist that you will do well here. I hope they are correct."

With that, Dauren strode purposefully from the storage room: a clear dismissal. Kendal bit her lip, not moving. She hoped that Selmak and Anise were right too.

* * *

Not sure what to do with herself, Kendal sat gingerly on the edge of her sleeping platform, taking in the small space that was hers. Well, hers and Ser'in's. Their quarters were nothing more and nothing less than any of the other Tok'ra had at their disposal. A main room and a closet: all she really needed when the latrines, bathing pools, and kitchens were communal. It was furnished simply, with the sleeping platform that she was currently sitting on, a moderately sized trunk at its foot, a set of chairs off to one side, and a small writing desk that doubled as a vanity because of the small mirror perched on a protruding crystal just above it.

After leaving the infirmary, Kendal and Ser'in had returned here and set about settling in to their new home. The blue duffel, which contained everything they had in the world, had been unpacked to their satisfaction. Any item of clothing that needed to be hung up had been placed in the closet. The smaller and folding items Ser'in had wanted to leave inside the bag, which they did, along with their candies. Kendal had insisted, however, on moving their shoes to the floor of the closet. Alejandra had packed the curious little shoes that Sam had called converse as well as two sturdy sets of combat boots, one of which Kendal was already wearing.

All this, of course, hadn't taken very much time.

"_Come on, Ser'in,"_ Kendal encouraged her lifemate, who was in control of their body at the moment._ "Let us go explore the tunnels."_

Nervously, Ser'in wrung her hands. _"I don't know if I can do this," _she whimpered. _"Two thousand years ago, absolutely. But… things have changed. The Tok'ra have changed. They are so hardened: so scarred! The fighting spirit that possessed them at their birth has been ripped away. They're left with only determination, fear, and their own sorrow."_

They had only yet met a few individuals in the halls, and only briefly at that, but Kendal was inclined to agree with Ser'in's assessment of them. From Ser'in's memories of those few Tok'ra she had met in person, and from the words of Egeria, they had both expected a race of rebels that was more… rebellious: more willing to help others and far less cold. Still, the woman found it hard to believe that even two thousand years had eaten away the brash Tok'ra spirit. Subdued it, perhaps, but she felt that it was still there._ "Remind them of who they are,"_ she finally suggested. _"In their suffering, they have forgotten."_

"_Perhaps you are right, kal'ma,"_ Ser'in admitted after thinking on it a moment.

"_I _know_ I am,"_ Kendal refuted smugly.

Ser'in just chuckled aloud, and stifled a yawn. _"I get the feeling that these next few weeks will be hard on us," _she mentioned, flopping back onto the sleeping platform. _"It may behoove us to use this opportunity as one of our last to take a nap."_

It was barely past noon, but Kendal hummed her agreement anyways, and not five minutes had passed before both she and Ser'in were lost in shared dreams.

* * *

The faces of many nameless Jaffa swam immaterially through Kendal's vision. Some were bowing, some were standing at attention, and some were snarling with battle-rage. Voices, speaking in Goa'uld, were hissing vile things into her ears, and the heart-wrenching cries of humans reverberated about her dream-state like clappers in a bell that wouldn't stop _ringing_. Kendal could _feel_ it, too. The sensations were muted, as if she were muffled by a pillow, but she could feel the sharp sting of the pain-sticks and ribbon devices: feel the unexpected softness of symbiote skin between her fingers as hands that did not belong to her removed a larval Goa'uld from its Jaffa and thrust it towards its new host. She could feel the rush of savage pleasure as she struck a defiant human girl across the face. She could smell the rancid smell permeating the air in the prison cells like some debasing disease, and feel the sickening thrill of unfamiliar hands roaming a different, unfamiliar body –taste the nish'ta on her own tongue. Kendal didn't quite know what to make of it.

Quite suddenly, the images and sensory input increased in quality. Kendal could see everything with far more clarity now, as well as hear through the hisses of Goa'uld and the screams of the slaves.

Jaffa, again. 'You must run, my lady!' they were yelling in their deep voices. 'Run, and meet Queen Egeria on Kimea. This world is not safe for you any longer!' Blood. Sunlight. The chittering of tree squirrels. A child laughing.

'Daughter, it is good to see you. Mischka as well.' A dark-haired beauty approached and embraced them, and Kendal could see that the skin on the arms she threw around the woman in return was a lovely olive tone. It was most definitely not her skin. 'Mother," she heard herself say.

Suddenly, the woman vanished, only to be replaced by a young man with dirty blonde hair who was passionately kissing her in a way that made Kendal's toes curl. 'Danon,' her voice said. 'Danon, I love you.'

'No more than I love you, Ser'in,' he answered, pinning her up against a wall and roughly taking her there, sending Kendal's pulse racing a mile a minute.

But just as suddenly as he had replaced the dark-haired woman, the woman replaced him. She was far less happy this time though. Her large doe-eyes were spilling over with tears as she held Kendal tightly in her arms. 'I shall never see you again my daughter, and for that I am sorry.'

With a rough cry, Kendal came careening back into the waking world, sitting up straight and feeling the dampness of tears on her cheeks. The dreams had been so powerful that she suspected that they were memories. Ser'in, although more disturbed by the display than Kendal, confirmed this quietly. Kendal knew then that the tears still trickling down her flushed cheeks were not originating from her own distress.

"Hey, are you all right?" a melodic, feminine voice sounded. Turning, Kendal was not surprised to see that a tall female Tok'ra had poked her head inside of the doorframe.

Carefully, Kendal wiped the dampness from her face. "Yes," she answered weakly, still slightly disoriented. Seeing that the Tok'ra didn't appear remotely convinced, she added, "We blended less than a week ago. I'm still getting used to the… to the dreams."

"_I am sorry, kal'ma,"_ Ser'in sighed.

"_Don't be. It's not your fault."_

"I see. The adjustment is harder for some than for others," the woman commented, the host speaking this time as opposed to the symbiote. Her nose was wrinkled with distaste. "I don't think we've met before," she added thoughtfully, narrowing her warm brown eyes. "Ever."

"Yes, well, that's a bit of a lengthy tale to tell," Kendal grumbled, watching as the Tok'ra's curiosity visibly strengthened. "You might as well sit down."

Eying her suspiciously, the Tok'ra did as she asked, perching gingerly on the edge of the sleeping platform and tucking a strand of fiery red hair behind one ear.

"Must_ we share our 'life's story' with this complete and total stranger?"_ Ser'in griped in their shared zone of consciousness.

"_Yes,"_ Kendal scolded gently._ "If we wish for friendship and kindness, we must be the first to extend it." _Aloud, she began by introducing herself. "I am Kendal, host to Ser'in," she told the woman.

Her guest dipped her head politely. "Sarah, host to Kairi."

Kendal smiled sweetly. "Pleased to meet you. We are new to this base, and are being trained as healers by Dauren and Ezabel."

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "They _never_ take on trainees."

"We arrived here under some… special circumstances," Kendal admitted sheepishly. "You see, Ser'in is a member of one of Egeria's later clutches. She served as a personal attendant to her for fifty years, but was captured by a system lord—we don't know which—and was placed into a stasis jar to be displayed as a war trophy. Somehow, she was forgotten, until the Tau'ri came to my planet and we discovered her in some ruins."

Sarah's eyes had grown wide. "Truly?" she asked, astonished. With Kendal's nod of confirmation, she sat back onto her hands. "That's… you've beaten some astronomical odds, Ser'in."

At this point, Ser'in chose to make an appearance. "Most definitely," she agreed in her tri-tonal voice, shaking her head. "Imagine my surprise when _this_ little fool opens my stasis jar and practically pokes her nose inside!"

Sarah laughed heartily: a warm, earthy sound. Ser'in herself retained her composure until her visitor's laughter was punctuated by a large snort. After that, there was no containing her and Kendal's giggles.

"Oh, goodness that's a story!" their guest finally hooted, and Kendal noted that it was now Kairi that was speaking. "My Sarah attempted to strike my former host with a frying pan when we first met," she offered, having clearly warmed up to them immediately.

Ser'in grinned. "I like it," she declared.

"So does Sarah," Kairi admitted. "She often laments the occasion as an opportunity wasted to inflict more damage before it meant harming herself as well."

"Potentially problematic," Ser'in agreed.

Kairi ducked her head, and in an instant, Sarah was back in control. "Forgive my intrusion if this is a personal question," she hedged, quite suddenly changing the subject, "but my Kairi never really got the opportunity to interact personally with Egeria, and we're curious. You said that you were a personal attendant. Surely you knew her well?"

Immediately, Ser'in's mood dampened. Kendal, feeling her rising sadness, offered her lifemate a mental 'hug', but couldn't offer much else. "Yes, I knew her fairly well. Not as well as I would have liked, but more than most of our brothers and sisters, I imagine," she muttered, folding her hands in their lap and fixing her gaze upon them. "She was daring and bold, but she was also cunning. And she was kind. She… she was the person I admired most, because she was special and resilient. I was captured before her death, and only heard of it through the Tau'ri, but I know she would have died with honor, no matter how degrading the circumstances."

In response, Sarah only nodded slowly, and silence reigned for a moment as Ser'in relinquished control back to Kendal, the change only evident in the flash of their eyes and the loosening of their posture, for Kendal had adopted Ser'in's solemn mood. Ser'in's memories of her time spent with Egeria, in reality only about five years in total, were filtering through them swiftly in a moment of reminiscence that Kendal wouldn't dream of interrupting or opting out of.

"_You're more like her than you give yourself credit for, dear one," _she told her lifemate gently.

A spark of gratitude jumped across Ser'in's mind. _"Thank you, kal'ma," _she returned.

"Kendal, it's nearing time for the evening meal," Sarah pointed out, clearly regretting her question. "If you haven't other plans, would you care to eat with us?"

The offer cheered Kendal, though it didn't have much impact on Ser'in. "We'd be delighted," she responded, producing a small smile.

* * *

_A/N: Since the story's still new, any and all ideas or suggestions are more than welcome. Do review! :)_


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